2 Fallen Gods, and a Guardian Angel
by anbu713
Summary: Complete! My first fic on What would happen if 3 kids from our world were sent to Spira and ended up as Yuna's guardians? Unknown to them, they've got a great destiny to fill, one that will break at least one of them. RikkuOC? YunaTidus
1. Arrival

Disclaimer: There's gonna be a lot of stuff i don't own in this. just the characters i make, and any changes in the plot i do are mine. Other then that, not much to say. and it's not worth going to court with me, i have no money as it is.

Please note that the rating is for excessivecursing, and pretty much nothing else. If you reveiew, let me know if i should lower it or raise it, since i gave it this rating just to be on the safe side...

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**Chapter 1: Arrival**

"Spring Break!" All the kids in the small classroom yelled seemingly as one. No school, no homework, no tests, nothing. As they flew out of the classroom three kids strayed behind. They weren't overly excited. Nothing to do anyway, there never was for them.

"Another break about to go to waste." Ryan said as he ran a hand through his dirty-blonde hair. "What the hell did we do to deserve being outcasts again?"

"Learned to read." His friends said in unison. They had a good laugh, and kept joking as they started on their way home.

"Oh, shit. Hang on, my mom said I had to pick up milk on the way home." Ryan said as he turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. "It's my turn this week isn't it?" He asked as his friends caught up with him.

"Yeah, about this. Could be a problem if we show up without you." Matt said as they neared Cumberland farms.

Suddenly there were three loud bangs, followed by a bunch of screams. The three friends had ducked at the sound of the first one, and now saw someone running out of Cumberland farms. He had a gun in one hand, and a bag in the other. As soon as he spotted them he opened fire.

First Matt gasped, taking a bullet to the lung. Ryan was next, but the bullet to his head stopped him from making any noise, aside from his head hitting the ground. Andy took two shots, on in the neck and one in the heart.

As Matt lay there, gasping for air and choking on blood, he at least had the satisfaction of seeing the man get crushed under a Mac truck as he tried to cross the street. Then darkness overtook him…

888

"Do you want to live?" A voice called out from behind the three boys.

"Where the hell are we?" Andy demanded, trying to see anything through the purple fog that surrounded them.

"They will need you." A small child said, appearing out of the fog in front of them. Close behind him were two other small children, and all three wore clothes that made it impossible to tell whether they were boys or girls.

"What the hell…" Andy wondered aloud. "Who will 'need' us?"

"The summoner." The three children replied as one.

"Summoner? What are you talking about?" Matt asked, an irritated edge to his voice.

"It's your destiny." One of the children said. "You must go. We can send you there."

"Send us where?" Ryan yelled, his voice echoing loudly in the seemingly endless void. "Where are you going to send us, and where the hell are we. Who the hell are you, and what did you mean by 'Do you want to live'?"

"We will let you die if you chose to not go and fulfill your destiny." They said as one.

"What kind of fucked up choice is that?" Matt yelled.

"What the hell," Ryan said quietly when Matt was done, "are you guys talking about with all this 'destiny' bullshit? Maybe if you explained that then could give you a fucking answer."

"You will shatter the false hope of the people of Spira. You will help destroy the immortal sin that plagues that world." The children said in unison, as if the three of them should have known all of this already.

"Why the hell should we do that for some world we don't even know? And stop talking in unison you freaks!" Andy yelled at the three.

"Well I don't know about saving a world from and undefeatable sin or anything, but I'm not too found of the idea of dying either." Ryan said with an amused smile on his face. "Why not. I'll play along with your little game for now."

Matt and Andy both sighed. They knew they'd go, and Ryan knew they'd go. Who wouldn't go for another shot at living after having just been shot down outside of a Cumberland Farm? Who the hell would even rob a Cumberland Farm?

"Then we will send you there now." The tree said as a white light began to outline the three friends.

"Wait, what are we supposed to do when we get wherever you're sending us?" Ryan yelled as the light consumed his vision.

"Just follow your heart. You'll know what to do." The voice was the last thing he heard before he fell into an uneasy sleep.

888

Matt woke up to find himself floating facedown in warm water. He panicked, and choked on some water as he tried to right himself. He heard someone call out, and looked up… and took a ball in the face. Blinking away the pain he looked and saw Ryan and Andy floating nearby. He also saw someone with spiky blonde hair.

"Heeeey!" the kid yelled, smiling as he took the ball. Matt watched as the kid went under water, and a few seconds later the ball came flying back up, followed by the kid who sends it back to the beach with a perfect bicycle kick.

"Holy shit!" Ryan cried out, "That was fucking awesome!"

The four swam to the beach.

"Yo. Hiya!" the spiky haired blonde said. "My name's Tidus."

"Well Tidus, wanna try that move again?" a big guy with orange hair that stuck straight up in the very front asked. Tidus smiled and repeated his performance, drawing another set of amazed gazes from everyone present.

"You ain't no amateur. What team you play for?" The orange haired guy asked.

"The Zanarkand Abes!" Tidus replied, drawing a confused look from everyone who was there except Ryan, Andy, and Matt.

"What team you say again?" the orange haired guy asked.

"Uhh…" Tidus started, noting he'd obviously said something he shouldn't have. "Nothing… never mind… forget it. I got too close to sin and, I don't know where I am. Or where I came from."

"Sin's toxins. But you still alive, so praise be to Yevon, ya?" he said, and he and everyone who'd been practicing with the balls did a stupid little gesture. "All right guys, back to work." He yelled at the rest of the people on the beach. "So who are you guys, ya?"

They looked at each other, and Ryan felt like he had suddenly been elected their spokesman when both of them started grinning. "I'm Ryan, and this," he pointed to Matt, "is Matt, and the other the taller one is Andy."

"I'm Wakka, coach and captain of the Besaid Aurochs, ya?" Before he could say anymore four stomachs growled in unison.

"Guess I'm no the only hungry one." Ryan said with a laugh.

"Well let's get back to the village. I'll get you something there!" Wakka said with a laugh, and we followed him when he started off. Along the way Tidus asked something about some place called Zanarkand. Wakka explained that some monster called "Sin" had destroyed it a thousand years ago because people had relied too much on machines. Then he commented how any team living without having to do any work would be really soft. He was obviously trying to cheer the four of us up.

While Tidus slowed down a little, thinking about something, Wakka stopped to wait for us near some shallow water. "It's this way, slowpokes!" He said when we had caught up with him.

"This is water, not a town." Andy said flatly. As he said this Wakka pushed Matt and Tidus in the water. Andy and Ryan looked from each other, to Wakka, and the two in the water. Then they joined Tidus and Matt in the water, and Wakka jumped in soon after.

"What the hell is this all about?" Ryan asked. "I'd just gotten dry Wakka!"

"Lemme guess," Tidus started, "you want me to play for your team."

"What, a soccer team?" Andy asked, drawing a confused look from Wakka and Tidus.

"Not soccer, I've never even heard of that, ya? We're talking about blitzball. There's a big tournament coming up soon. All the teams in Spira are gonna be there, which means someone from your old team will recognize you, ya? Then you can go back to your old team. Come on, it'll be fun!" Wakka said with a big smile as the five swam towards the exit.

"Why not. It does sound like fun." Tidus said with a smile.

"Dude, our team is gonna rock, ya?" Wakka yelled while everyone climbed out of the water, shivering slightly in the cool winds of Besaid.

They walked for a while more, and Wakka was telling them about how the Besaid Aurochs hadn't won a game in ten years. That's a hell of a record. "The first game last year was my big chance. But something else was on my mind, I couldn't focus."

"What an excuse." Matt said under his breath. Wakka might have heard it if Tidus hadn't said nearly the same thing in a normal tone.

"Hey, hey."

"So you wanna win this tournament, go out with a bang, right?" Tidus asked. Wakka nodded. "So what's our goal for the tournament?"

"Well I don't care if we win, just so long as we try our best, ya? As long as we do that, I can walk away happy, win or lose." Wakka stated firmly.

"No, no, no, no! When I say 'What's our goal?' you say 'Victory!" Tidus said loudly. "When you play in a blitzball tournament, you play to win! Right you three?" There was an awkward silence, since none of the three even knew what blitzball was. "Hey, what's the matter, don't you agree?" Tidus asked as both he and Wakka turned on them.

Ryan panicked. He still had no idea what was going on, and no idea what blitzball was. "No, you play to win in everything, not just blitzball!" He shouted back, trying to stall for time. Matt was the liar of the group, guy could get people to believe his lies no matter how far-fetched they were, or so it seemed. Turns out Ryan was better then he thought, or Tidus was denser then he looked, because he smiled and nodded.

"You guys serious? We haven't won a game in 10 years, and you want us to play to win." The four others nodded. As they walked along they came across two guys who called themselves crusaders.

"Ah, the ones from the sea." The first one said.

"Be on guard. There are fiends on the road today." The second one said.

'Military wannabes.' Andy thought sourly.

"After you run in with Sin, twould be a shame if something were to happen to you now." The first guy finished before they both walked off.

"Who were they?" Matt asked when the two were out of earshot.

"Luzzu and Gatta- Crusaders." Wakka replied.

"Crew of what?" Tidus said, as lost as the other three.

"Crusaders, what you forget them too?" Wakka said, looking at Tidus who hung his head. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'll help you guys out."

"Cool, and in return I'll make sure your team wins the tournament." Tidus said.

"Cool. As for the crusaders, you can ask them yourselves. They've got a lodge in the village." Wakka said.

The rest of the trip to the village was uneventful. When they arrived Wakka happily said "Besaid Village."

"Any food around here?" Tidus asked.

'Damn that kid's tactless.' Ryan thought. He wasn't the only one who was hungry, or didn't he hear any of their stomachs rumbling.

"Forget about food for now." Wakka said. "Take a look around first. The Crusaders' lodge is over there, and Luzzu and Gatta are usually there. Oh yeah, over there!" Wakka said, pointing to a large building towards the back of the town.

"A church, here?" Andy asked more then stated. He seemed surprised, just like Matt and Ryan.

"You guys do remember the prayer, ya?" When they all shook their head 'no' Wakka sighed. "You must have forgot or something. Don't worry it'll come back. Here, I'll show you." Wakka said, as he did some stupid gesture.

'I don't even go to church in my own world, and this guy wants me to go in his world and pray too? I'm not sure I signed up for such an annoying job.' Ryan thought as he watched Wakka do the gesture. Despite how dumb it was, Ryan remembered the gesture and tucked it away for future use. Never knew when doing a stupid gesture could get you out of trouble.

When he was done Wakka told them to try. They did, and although it felt stupid they all managed to imitate the movement. "Okay guys, go present yourselves to the temple's Summoner." He said before walking off.

Tidus went to the hut where the crusaders were stationed, and held a discussion with Luzzu and Gatta for a few minutes. "Well, now what?" Andy asked.

"Find some place quiet and private to talk without notice." Matt and Ryan said in unison. "No point in drawing un-needed attention to ourselves." They left the village and sat down in some old ruins to talk. "Well, what have we learned so far?"

"Something called Sin isn't too popular with the people." Matt said quietly.

"And something called Blitzball is. And we've also learned the prayer gesture thingy." Andy said, performing the stupid gesture again.

"And something about Summoners. We're supposed to help some Summoner right? What if the one at this temple is the one we're supposed to help? Just means we get out of here quicker." Ryan said.

"How does he put this stuff together?" Andy wondered aloud.

"You didn't have Mr. Smith for Social Studies last year. If you did, you'd be able to put he pieces together in logical order too." Matt said with an amused smile.

"Whatever guys. So what do we do next?" Andy asked.

"Only thing we can do. Introduce ourselves to the temple Summoner." Matt said quietly.

* * *

a/n: Well that's that. This is gonna be a lot like the story for a while. Mostly until I decided where exactly everything's going. But it's shouldn't end up as a retelling of the story. And please keep in mind that this is my first story. Other than that, just RR plz! 


	2. A Gift from the Crusaders

Having decided to follow Wakka's instructions, the three boys headed back to the town.

"Hey guys, wait up!" Tidus called from behind them. "Going to introduce yourselves to the Summoner?"

"Yeah. Might as well make as many friends as possible." Matt said.

"Don't you think it'll be a little awkward? Let's go find Wakka first; it was his idea after all. Make him do the introductions." Tidus said with a grin.

"Why not." Andy said as he followed Tidus towards a seemingly random hut.

"So what do you think of this place so far?" Matt asked as he and Ryan followed from a slight distance.

"I think this is the calm before the storm, but I could be wrong." Ryan replied soberly. "I got this feeling that there is a lot more going on here then those damn kids told us."

Matt nodded. "We probably shouldn't tell anyone about them."

"I agree. We'll tell Andy as soon as we can talk in private." Ryan said as they arrived at the tent in time to hear Wakka tell them to take a nap. "Well, can't argue with that can we?" Ryan asked, his voice suddenly becoming light and carefree.

'How the hell can he do that?' Matt wondered as they lay down to go to sleep. It hadn't been a long day since they woke up in the water, but for some reason they were all really tired. Within minutes they were all asleep.

"Not you three again." Ryan muttered as he once again found himself in a seemingly endless void filled with purple fog. "You've got some answering to do."

"What is it that you wish to know?" The children replied in unison.

'Damn that unison thing is getting annoying.' Ryan thought as he tried to organize his thoughts. "The Summoner of this temple is the one we're supposed to help, right?" The children nodded. "So how exactly are we supposed to help him?"

"Her." The children said as one. "The Summoner is a girl."

"Okay, how are we supposed to help her then?" Ryan asked.

"You have hidden talents you are not yet aware of," The children started, "and these talents will be how you help her. Guard her well. We have informed… another, powerful fighter that we want you to help her. Do not worry about finding him. He will find you, and with such exotic clothes on he'll recognize you instantly." The Fayth said, commenting on the black raving pants, and dark green sweatshirt he was wearing. "He will help guide the four of you." The children said.

"Four? You mean Tidus too?" another nod. "Okay, next question. Who are you three?"

"We are fayth." The Fayth replied simply.

Ryan stared blankly. "Okay…" He said, not sure what that meant. "Next thing. How are we supposed to protect someone without weapons?"

"Do you desire weapons?" The Fayth asked.

"It's typically useful for someone without any martial arts training to need a weapon." Ryan said, and then he added, "At least, it is from my world."

"Then you will find your weapons when you awaken." The Fayth said. "All three of you have talents. If you do not use them to their fullest extent, you will not survive. And be warned, not all is as it seems." The Fayth said as a familiar white light surrounded Ryan. This time he didn't bother to try and stop it; it wouldn't do him any good.

A few hours later Ryan woke up to find Wakka missing from the hut. 'Guess he still had some training to do with his team.' He thought to himself. 'No wins in ten years, I guess if anyone needs to train it'd be them.'

Carefully navigating the cluttered hut, Ryan stepped out to get some fresh air. A few minutes later the Besaid Aurochs came walking into town, and Wakka was nowhere to be found. "So he wasn't with his team." Matt said from behind Ryan, startling him.

"You noticed too. Wonder where he is." Ryan wondered aloud as an old man dressed in priestly robes walked past.

"You are two of the ones from the sea, are you not?" He asked, getting the attention of the two boys. "Please excuse me, I didn't not mean to interrupt. But if you seek Wakka, he is in the temple."

"Hey, thanks." Ryan said and the old man smiled and walked off. "To the temple then?" Matt nodded. When the two got to the temple they went inside. There was a group of people up a statue, and were obviously struggling with it. Ryan looked at matt, and they sighed and walked over.

"Need some help?" Matt asked, cutting right to the point.

"What?" And old man asked. "Oh yes, if you don't mind. Please, do be careful though." The two boys had already begun to help the men who were busy trying to raise the statue.

An hour later they were finished. "Thank you for you help kids." One of the men said as he performed the prayer gesture. Matt and Ryan performed it back, figuring that it was the typical thing to do.

"What happen to not drawing undo attention?" Matt whispered quietly as they walked around, looking at the statues.

"Seemed like the right thing to do." Ryan replied easily. "And we were here anyway. 'Might as well make as many friends as possible', right?" he said with a smirk, only to have Matt slap him in the back of the head.

"High Summoner Braska." The old man from before said when he noticed the two staring at the statue they had helped to put up. "It's been ten years since he defeated Sin, and only now, after the calm he brought has ended, do we get a statue for our temple."

"So this guy defeated Sin? Thought Sin was still around?" Ryan said, drawing an odd look from the old man. "Sorry, we got a little too close to Sin."

"Praise be to Yevon that Sin only took your memory." The old man said loudly, performing the prayer gesture. Suddenly everyone in the temple was performing it towards the two boys.

"Way to keep a low profile." Matt whispered sarcastically.

"Please allow me to re-inform you. When Sin is defeated, a ten-year calm follows. After those ten years, Sin returns to punish us for our sins. One day, when we have repented for all of our sins, we will no longer live in fear of Sin."

"So he comes back after ten years. And Lord Braska was the hundredth person to defeat him, correct?" Matt asked. The man nodded, smiling.

"Perhaps Sin's toxins aren't as strong as I first thought. That is good." The priest said.

"Why's that, bruddas? What'd ya remember?" Wakka asked as he walked into the temple.

'Guess the old man was wrong.' Matt thought.

"This one remembered how many times Sin has been defeated." The priest stated.

"No I didn't." Matt said before anyone could say anything else. Wakka and the priest looked at him, not understanding. "Well, when we were walking here Wakka and Tidus were talking about Zanarkand being destroyed a thousand years ago. You said the calm lasted ten years. If you divide 1000 by 10, you get 100. That means that a hundred people had to have defeated Sin for him to be back now, unless they didn't defeat him every ten years."

'That's how you did it. Damn math whiz.' Ryan thought as he double-checked the flawless math for errors. "He's right."

"I see." The priest said somewhat sadly. "Do not fear, I'm sure Yevon will return you memory soon." He said before walking away.

"Well, what are you guys doing here?" Wakka asked, putting both of them in powerful, but friendly headlocks.

"Taking your advice." Matt said when Wakka let go. "Introducing ourselves to the temple's Summoner."

"Sorry but you're gonna have to wait, ya?" Wakka said. "She's praying to the Fayth right now."

"The Fayth. They're the ones who give the Summoners the Aeons, right?" Ryan asked, drawing a confused look from Matt.

"That's right! Hey, maybe you're beginning to remember thing after all, ya!" Wakka said with a smile.

'No, I just know a few Fayth.' Ryan thought, but he didn't say anything to Wakka. No point in bringing him down. "Certainly looks that way." He said, giving Matt a look that said 'I'll explain later'.

"Hey, you guys should go back and get some sleep, ya? It's almost morning!" Wakka said.

"What!" Matt asked. 'Damn statue!'

"Yeah, the sun should be rising any minute now." Wakka said. "Don't worry about it, not like you guys need to get up early or anything."

"Well I'm going back to bed, forget you Ryan. You wake up way too early as it is." Matt said as he ran back to Wakka's hut.

"What was that all about?" Wakka asked. Ryan smiled.

"Where we come from, most kids don't get up until a little before the sun rises, if they even get up before it. I don't think I've been up after a sunrise for three years now." Ryan said with an amused look.

"So you some kinda freak for that where you come from, or something like that, ya?" Wakka asked.

"Something like that." Ryan said with a laugh. "So what are you here for?"

"Me? I'm a guardian for the Summoner who's praying right now." Wakka said proudly.

"Then shouldn't you be, for lack of a better word, guarding her?" Ryan asked, watching the big man out of the corner of his eye.

"Nah, it's okay. There's already some guardians in there. Besides, it's forbidden." Wakka said.

"I see." Ryan said.

"You remember what blitzball is, ya?" Wakka questioned with a smile. Ryan shook his head. "Well then come on, me and the boys'll teach you how to blitz while the others are sleeping."

"The sun hasn't even come up yet, isn't it a little early?" Ryan asked.

"What, afraid to look stupid in front of a team that hasn't won a game in ten years?" Wakka asked with a laugh as he dragged Ryan out of the temple.

"A little, yeah." Ryan said earnestly.

"Then I'll show you myself first. You _do _know how to swim, right." Wakka asked. Ryan grinned.

"Yeah, that I know how to do." He said as Wakka lead him to the beach they'd first met at. On the way Wakka filled him in on the rules, and explain the basic aspects and the terms.

"So, you ready?" He asked, obviously enjoying himself. "Okay, take this." He said handing Ryan a small pill.

"You trying to drug me up or something?" He asked as he took it, Wakka following suit.

"You think people just naturally hold their breath the entire game brudda? Two 15 minute quarters is a half-hour!" Wakka yelled as the sun came up over the ocean, drawing Ryan's gaze. "Yeah, it's pretty beautiful ain't it?"

"You never see anything like this where I'm from." Ryan whispered, awed by the beautiful sight. Suddenly a ball hit him in the back of the head. "What the hell!"

"No time for day dreaming, ya? We've got a lotta work to do if we're gonna teach you how to blitz!" Wakka said as he spun the ball on one finger, seemingly more out of habit then choice.

Ryan smiled and took off his shirts. They set to work. Wakka re-explained the basics, showing Ryan everything and then having him try. Ryan was amazed at how good at teacher Wakka was. Despite the fact that Wakka said he was picking it up quicker then normal, there was no way he'd have been able to get so far by the time the rest of his team got there for practice. It'd only been a few hours, but Ryan could barely get up the energy to float. Meanwhile Wakka wasn't even winded.

"Hey, you gonna stay for practice? See how you fare against the boys, ya?" Wakka asked.

"When I can… move again… you'll be the first… to know." Ryan managed as he gasped for air.

"What the hell did you do to him, Wakka?" Matt asked as he came around the bend.

"I started teaching him how to blitz, ya know? Just the basics though, and it was a short session too. He learned a lot quicker then I did, that's for sure, ya." Wakka said with a laugh. By this time Ryan had managed to get back to his shirt on the beach.

"Man, you suck. A short session and you're this tired." Matt said with a grin, which grew when Ryan flipped him off. "Come on, how bad could it be?"

"You try." Ryan said as he put his t-shirt on and lay down on his sweatshirt. "You're gonna wanna take your shirt off." Ryan said with a grin. Throwing their shirts on him they set off to the water where the Besaid Aurochs began to teach them the basics of blitzball. About halfway through Ryan got up, took his t-shirt off, and joined them. Again he ended up with a private lesson, but this time it wasn't from Wakka since he was overseeing the overall practice.

"Hey Wakka, shouldn't you go check on Yuna?" The guy helping Ryan asked suddenly. "It's nearly noon!"

"Hey, you're right brudda. You guys introduced yourselves to her yet?" Wakka asked. They shook their heads and Wakka sighed. "Okay, you guys better come with me." Wakka said.

After they had all dried off they started towards the temple. Once in the town they stopped at several different huts, each time asking if Yuna had come out of something called the Cloister of Trials. She hadn't, apparently and Wakka's happy personality changed to one of concern as he approached the temple. Tidus meet them in the temple.

"What's wrong?" He asked, noticing Wakka's worried look.

"The Summoner hasn't returned from the trials." He said, concern creeping into his voice. "Well, apprentice Summoner really. There's a room called the Cloister of Trials," Wakka said, "and beyond that room is where the apprentice Summoners pray. If the prayer is heard then the apprentice becomes a full-fledged Summoner, ya remember?" Wakka asked to which the four just stared. Tidus was the one to break the silence.

"So someone's in there and hasn't come back. Right, I got it."

"It's already been a day." Wakka said.

"Is it dangerous in the Cloister of Trials?" Ryan asked.

"It can be." Wakka said. "It depends on the cloister."

"So why don't you go in and help?" Tidus asked.

"There are already some guardians in there." Ryan answered for Wakka.

"Ya, and it's forbidden." Wakka added as he watched Tidus run up the stairs.

"But what if the Summoner dies or something?" Tidus asked.

"The precepts must be obeyed!" Wakka yelled.

"Like I care!" Tidus said as he ran into the trials.

"Man, Lu is gonna kill me!" Wakka sighed.

"We could just go in and stop him. How hard could that be?" Andy suggested.

Wakka looked torn for a second. "I'm gonna go get him. You three stay out here." He said. "Don't be sneaking in after me, ya? The Cloisters can be dangerous, and I don't wanna have to worry about you guys getting hurt on top of everything else."

"Man, you take all the fun out of being here." Ryan said sarcastically as he turned and started to walk out of the temple. When they were all out he asked, "So now what?"

"Hey you're the kids that came from the ocean, right?" A man asked as the three friends wandered absently through the town. They nodded in unison and the man continued, "Come in, please come in. Praise be to Yevon that you survived, but I notice that you have no weapons even though you go outside the town." The man said as he entered a hut that the boys vaguely remembered being the hut the Crusaders were in.

"Yeah, but we kind of don't have any money." Ryan said quietly as they entered.

"Do not worry about money. A gift, from the Crusaders." The man said as he opened a door and led them into what looked like an armory. "Take anything you like, but only one each." The three just stared at the guy, waiting for the catch. It didn't come.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Matt asked, and the man nodded with a smile. "Well, if you insist." He said as he started to walk around the room, quickly looking over all the weapons. One wicked looking axe caught his eye and he smiled. "I think I'll take this one." He said while the other two continued to browse, only glancing back to see his selection.

Ryan was the next to find his weapon of choice, which came as no great surprise to his friends. "Damn Japanese wanna-be." Andy said as he watched Ryan pull down the katana from the stand. Ryan just smiled. "So now it's just me." Andy whispered as his eyes passed over the oddest pair of brass knuckles he'd ever seen, if they could even be called that. They seemed normal enough until the hole that the pinky would go in, after which a blade came down about six inches. A closer inspection showed that the knuckles too had blades on them. "Hell yes." Andy said quietly as he tried them on. "A little big." He said with a sigh.

"Ah yes, the fist blades. A very fine choice, however you might want to take a pair of gloves to protect your hands." The man said as he led them back out to the main area. He rummaged around in a container for a while before pulling out a pair of leather gloves. "These should make the blade fit nicely as well."

"Thanks." Andy said as he put the gloves on, followed by the fist blades. This time the extra room was taken up by the brown leather, and left Andy with a snug fit.

"Well then, let's get you a three something to hold them with and we'll be all set." The man said as he disappeared back into the container. This time he came back up with a belt with a loop for Ryan's sword, a back strap for Matt's axe, and what looked like a fanny pack for Andy. "There you are, ready to defend yourselves against the fiends of the island." The man said with a smile.

The three boys thanked the Crusaders again before walking out of the hut, smiling, and beginning to think that maybe Spira wasn't such a bad place to be after all.

a/n: Wow, that was a long chapter. It was originally supposed to go all the way up to when you fight Kimahri, but that seemed a little long. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, that's next chapter! Please RR!


	3. Aeons, and Lions

Welcome back! And thanks to lightningwizard and Sephirothxx for reviewing.

lightningwizard- I dunno if Matt's smart, or just smarter then the other two. and i changed the rating since both my reviewers said the cursing wasn't that bad. Don't worry, i do plan to change the plot.

Sephirothxx- sorry about the proofreading. I tried to catch as many mistakes as i could this time through, but i never was very good at it. and if you check now, i'm pretty sure i fixed the error with Andy not entering. that really confused me since when i checked the orignial he actually did enter, but who knows.

One last thing. For all you Yu-Gi-Oh fans out there, myself included, try reading 'From the Past' by sailorarctic! it's a really good story, especially if you're a bakura fan!

and now on with the chapter!

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Chapter 3: Aeons, and Lions 

As the three boys walked out of the crusaders hut they saw a big crowd gathering around. Not sure what was going on they ran over to see what all the commotion was about.

"What's going on Wakka?" Matt asked when they found the blitzer and Tidus in the crowd.

"Just keep watching bruddas, you'll see." Wakka said as he pointed towards a young girl with brown hair and two different colored eyes, one green and one blue. "Ready!" He yelled to the girl.

"Okay." She replied. She did some movements and a glyph formed on the ground below her. Right after that a giant bird appeared. It looked rather ragged and not exactly friendly, but it gave off a calming feeling to everyone nearby.

"What the in god's name was that?" Ryan asked in awe as he watched the bird fly off.

"That was Valefor, Yuna's first Aeon, ya?" Wakka said, giving Ryan a friendly slap on the back. "Hey Yuna, come here!" Wakka yelled suddenly. "Yuna, these are the other three kids I met at the beach. This is Ryan, that's Matt, and the big one's Andy." He said, pointing to each one as he said their name. "Guys, this is Yuna."

"Nice to meet all of you." Yuna said, bowing.

"The pleasure is ours." Ryan said, bowing awkwardly, Matt and Andy quickly following suit.

"Well I'll see you at the party later!" Yuna said as she ran off to her hut.

"Is it me, or did she seem a little too happy to you two?" Andy asked.

"After summoning something like that, I'd be pretty damn happy too. I'd be happy if I could some a freaking gecko." Ryan said with a laugh as he glanced around, not seeing Wakka or Tidus at all. "So now what?"

"Dunno." Matt said. "We could always explore a little."

"Might as well." Andy said with a sigh. "Maybe we'll find something interesting to do. I dunno about you guys, but I'm bored out of my mind."

"Wait, you actually have a mind?" Ryan asked sarcastically as they walked out of the village and towards the beach.

"Very funny." Andy said with a laugh.

"Hey guys, what's a dog doing out here?" Matt asked when they were nearly to the beach.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked as he followed Matt's gaze. Ryan's eyes popped open. "That's not a dog dude." He said as he drew his sword, now that it was close enough to see that it was too large to be a dog.

It jumped at the group, which quickly scattered. Growling it turned on Andy and charged again. He twisted as it jumped by, but still felt its claws slice his side open. Turning so that he was facing the coyote head on he a rock flew by his head, slamming into the things head.

"What the hell took you two so long?" Andy growled as another rock slammed into the coyote and Ryan ran up next to him, sword drawn.

"Sorry, we got disoriented." He said with a nervous chuckle. "But enough about us, why don't we deal with the problem on hand?"

888

"Well boys, let's see what you can do." Wakka said as he twirled his blitzball on his finger, watching the fight.

"Don't you think you should help them Wakka? That thing could kill them." Yuna asked as she walked up behind them.

"Don't worry, ya? I'll jump in if they need help. No pain no gain, right?" Wakka said, turning to look at the young Summoner. "Hey, don't worry. They doing okay so far, ya?"

"I guess. I've never had to fight a fiend before." Yuna said as she watched the three boys struggling to fight off the lone coyote. "Wakka?" She said suddenly.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Coyote's always hunt in packs." Yuna whispered.

888

"Die already you damn dog wannabe!" Andy yelled as he punched out with his fist blades, barely grazing the agile coyote.

"Hey guys, this isn't working." Matt said as he watched the coyote that, despite bleeding from dozens of small wounds, prepare to attack again.

"Here we go again." Ryan said with a sigh as the coyote jumped at the group, latching onto Andy's arm with its jaw. "Bastard!" Ryan yelled as he ran his sword through the creature's side, not stopping until the finger guard hit the creature's furry coat.

"Go to hell!" Matt yelled as he brought his axe down on the coyote's neck, severing it from the rest of its body. Rather then being sprayed with blood the body fell limp and firefly looking things started floating out of it.

"What the fuck?" Ryan wondered aloud as he helped Andy remove the still clenched jaw from his forearm. "This is screwed up. Fireflies come out of dead things now?"

"Worry about the fireflies later." Matt said suddenly. "Looks like the rest of the pack wants revenge."

"Tell me you're kidding." Ryan said as he turned around and sighed when he saw two more charging down the path. "Run to the beach! Get in the water!"

"Why?" Andy asked as they turned and ran.

"If we're in water up to our waist, they're doing the doggie paddle." Ryan said with a smile. Andy smiled, understanding as they reached the sand.

888

"The beach? Wonder why they'd head to the beach, ya?" Wakka wondered aloud as he took off after the boys, Yuna right behind him. "Hey wait, isn't Lu at the beach?" Wakka asked, his face paling as Yuna nodded. "Poor guys." He muttered.

888

By the time the three boys had reached the water the coyotes chasing them were almost close enough for Ryan to hit with his sword. Without breaking stride they dove head first into the water, hearing the coyotes running in quickly.

'They took the bait.' Ryan thought as he turned so he could see how close the coyotes were to having to swim. The water was already up to his waist, and he didn't feel like going any deeper if he didn't have to. When he turned he saw the first coyote coming at him, jaws open and in mid-air. 'Shit.' He thought, his mind freezing up and his knees giving out on him. As he fell beneath the crystal clear waters of Besaid he watched as an axe ripped through the coyotes back, while a dagger punctured it's skull, only a few drops of blood hitting the water before the fireflies came out of the body of the very dead coyote.

"You okay?" Matt asked as he helped Ryan out of the somewhat bloody water.

"Yeah, as good as can be expected for a guy that nearly got his skull crushed by a coyote." He muttered as he glanced around. "Weren't there two?" He asked, confused by the absence of a second body.

"Fire!" Someone yelled from the shore, and something behind the boys erupted into flames, drastically raising the temperature of the water, and sending them running towards the shore.

"What the hell was that?" Andy asked once they'd made it into cooler waters.

"It was just a basic fire spell." A woman with an oriental hairstyle, black lipstick, and the most interesting outfit the boys had ever seen worn on a normal day said. The chick was showing cleavage out the wazzu. Not to mention having a dress made of belts and carrying around a doll. They all came to the same silent conclusion. Holy shit! "You make it sound like you've never seen black magic before."

"Can't say that I have." Andy said as he started to stand up, cradling his bitten arm. Ryan made sure to crush his toes for his stupidity as he stood up.

"Is that so?" The woman asked with an emotionless expression. Not what they had expected to hear. "Then you must be some of the ones that Wakka found on the beach." She stated more then asked. "Sin's toxins must be stronger then I thought." She said as she started back towards the town.

The three boys stared in confusion. How the hell had she figured that out, or were they that stupid? "Hey wait," Ryan said, grabbing her arm to stop her. Big mistake. She turned around, threw her arm up, and brought it back down, her face contorted with rage. As soon as she finished a lightning bolt flew out of nowhere, slamming into Ryan and sending him to the ground in pain.

"That was a bit excessive, don't you think Lu?" Wakka asked as he and Yuna burst onto the scene. "Yuna, I think he needs some help, ya?" Wakka said, turning to the Summoner. She nodded.

"Cure!" She yelled, pointing her staff at Ryan's still twitching body. A bright flash followed by some sparkles and Ryan sat up, looking overly confused. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… what was that?" He asked as he stood up, notably slow.

"What, you've never seen white magic before either?" Lu asked, back to her emotionless expression. "You are hopeless." She said before walking off.

"Yuna's not just a Summoner, she's a white mage too, ya?" Wakka said with a grin. "That means if you get hurt, she can fix you back up brudda."

"That's good to know." Ryan said. "Think you might be able to help Andy out?" He asked, pointing at the now blood soaked arm, and side.

"Oh wow, that coyote got you good, ya?" Wakka asked while Yuna cast the spell on Andy.

"Shut up." Andy replied quickly. "It's not like any of us have ever done this before. Hell, I've never even been in a real fight before."

"You've never been in a fight before? Man, you don't know what you're missing." Ryan said sarcastically as he wiped his blade off and sheathed it.

"Well let's go back to the village. There's gonna be a big party for Yuna soon, ya?" Wakka said happily. "And if we meet anymore fiends, let me take care of them, ya?" He added with a laugh as they started back to the village, quickly catching up with Lu. When the six reached the village they went there separate ways, until the party started.

"Let me introduce you to the team." Wakka said as he put his arm around Tidus' shoulder. "This guy wanted into the tournament so bad, I let him on the team. His memory's a little fuzzy though, so don't mind him if he says anything weird, ya?" He said as he pushed Tidus forward. "Come on, say hi."

"Uh… hi guys." Tidus said nervously. He relaxed when the entire team replied in a jolly tone. "So what's our goal?"

"To do our best!" The Aurochs replied in unison.

'No wonder they never win. The entire team believes that.' Matt thought as he, Ryan, and Andy came up on the scene.

"Nope, we got a new goal this year!" Wakka cut in suddenly. "Our new goal is… Victory! To win every match, defeat every opposing team! To bring the Crystal Cup back to our island! That's all we need to do to win, easy ya?"

There was an uneasy silence for a few seconds as the Aurochs thought about what Wakka had said. For a second Matt wondered if the Aurochs would accept victory as their new goal. His worries vanished when the entire team started chanting 'Victory' in unison.

"Hey, looks like Tidus hasn't met Yuna yet." Ryan said quietly, pointing to Tidus who was being called some names by the local people as he approached Yuna. They watched as the two held a short conversion before Yuna went off with a little girl. As Tidus walked back towards the three boys Wakka walked up and started talking with Tidus. Wakka laughed and Tidus went into Wakka's hut, apparently ready to call it a day.

"Hey if you guys get tired, just go on into my hut, ya? I made up some beds earlier, but it's gonna be a tight squeeze with the five of us in there." The blitzer said with a smile.

"Thanks Wakka." Ryan said as Wakka went back over to his team. Throughout the night the three boys drifted into the hut, and fell asleep in, what seemed to them, the most impossible positions they could ever imagine.

888

"How do you like Spira?" The Fayth asked Matt who once again found himself in an abyss with purple fog.

"It's certainly interesting." Matt replied icily. "Now what the hell are we supposed to do about protecting Yuna? We can barely kill a freaking Coyote." Matt yelled, frustrated more at his lack of knowledge then lack of combat experience.

"You have powers that you do not yet know of. They will make themselves evident as time goes on." The Fayth replied.

"You know more then you're letting on." Matt said flatly. "What aren't you telling us?"

The Fayth turned their back on him for a minute, discussing something amongst themselves. "There is a legend that few ever knew of, and many have forgotten, in Spira. It involves Yu Yevon, the only remaining god, the central figure of the Yevon faith. In the early days there were six gods. Yu Yevon, Dnortih, Vena, Usi, Zedih, and finally Sin."

"Wait, Sin's the thing all the Summoners keep killing." Matt said. "Why would they kill a god?"

"Let us finish and you will understand." The Fayth said in a monotone voice. When Matt nodded to continue, "The gods also had a number of angels under their command, for when they needed to communicate or protect certain lower beings from danger. Most powerful was the Guardian Angel Lusniec. His skill was unrivaled, even by the leader of the archangels, the army of the upper planes. Yu Yevon was the strongest of the gods, but he was also the most paranoid. He constantly lived in fear of the other five overthrowing him. Eventually he decided to destroy them, to secure his place as the most powerful god of all. Lusniec discovered Yu Yevon's plan, and warned the other five gods. While Dnortih, Vena, Usi, and Zedih were thankful for the warning, Sin grew angry. He struck out at Lusniec, killing the angel instantly."

"Damn Sin." Matt muttered, disliking the monster more each time he heard about it.

"However, Lusniec was no fool." The Fayth continued. "He knew that Sin was quick to anger, but being a guardian angel he could not leave Sin to his fate. So after warning the other gods, he gave almost all of his power to one human. When that human was sent to the farplane, or this world's after life," The Fayth added at Matt's confused look, "Lusniec's power transferred itself to another person who desired to protect those precious to them. The four elemental gods, Dnortih, Vena, Usi, and Zedih also did this, locking their power away into a single person similar to them." The Fayth said. "And then Yu Yevon destroyed the only ones able to challenge him. Over time he learned of Sin killing Lusniec, and resurrected the god of death as the monster that the high summoners now face."

"And you brought us here because you think we have that power?" Matt asked with a laugh. "Hello, we aren't even from this world. How the hell could we have those powers?"

"The world you come from does not matter." The Fayth said. "What matters is only that you very well may have the powers. If there were any chance that you do, it would be too dangerous to remain in your world until you learned to control them. If you really do hold powers from any of the destroyed gods, then you will be an incredible asset to Yuna and her cause. Do not forget why we brought you here, ever.

"So you don't know for sure if we have these powers." Matt said with a sigh, turning his back on the Fayth. "Well, guess you three have done your research."

"You always watch lightning." The Fayth said suddenly. Matt turned around to face them slowly. "You feel at ease when you watch it, despite the fact that many fear it. You stand in the middle of a field even though many have died doing this. Yet you live."

"How did you know that?" Matt asked, his voice shaking slightly. "And what does that have to do with anything?"

"We did our research." The Fayth replied as a bright white light began to engulf Matt. "It matters, because that same habit has been seen in wielders of the lightning god's powers before."

"So what!" Matt yelled angrily, forcefully driving the light away. "Ryan stands there with me, he's at peace during those times as well. You've got no solid proof that we have any of these powers you keep talking about. You just chose us because we had just died and weren't ready to give up on life, didn't you!" Matt yelled, grabbing the closest of the three Fayth by the collar of its hood.

Silently the Fayth lifted its head so that it was looking Matt directly in the eyes. "Ryan is here too, is he not? Whether or not you do posses the powers of the gods, the fact still remains that your destiny lays here!" It said with a quiet malice that sent a shiver down Matt's back. "Do not forget that we brought you here. We also have the power to destroy you!" Before Matt could reply a painfully bright white light engulfed his vision.

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Matt sat up slowly, the sun just coming up. 'Damn it, sunrise.' He thought as he tried to shield his eyes from the sun that seemed bent on keeping him awake. With a sigh of resignation he stood up carefully, and stretched as he walked out into the cool morning.

With his eyes still adjusting he didn't notice Ryan sneaking up behind him until he was pulled into the shadows of the hut, Ryan's one hand covering his mouth, and signaling for Matt to be quiet with the other. He nodded. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Listen." Ryan whispered quickly. "And watch." He said as he pointed to Wakka and Lulu who were arguing as they came down the path and into the town. "They've been at it since before I was up." Ryan said with a sigh. "They were so loud they didn't even notice me following them."

"I can understand them not noticing you, you freakin' assassin wanna-be," Matt said drawing a smile from Ryan, "but they've been going at it since before _you _were up? Damn, must be pretty bad. That's what, three, four hours now?"

"At least. I don't think they've even gone to sleep tonight. Here they come, quiet." Ryan said as the two slipped into the shadows again, seemingly vanishing from the face of the earth. 'Guess having no life does pay off from time to time. Then again, dodging cops after curfew does too I guess.'

Just before Wakka and Lulu were in hearing distance Tidus screamed something that Matt missed, having been vainly attempting to hear Wakka and Lulu's conversation. 'What the hell?' He wondered for a few seconds before shaking it off as Wakka and Lulu suddenly came close enough for him to hear.

"He's dead, okay! Dead!" Lulu yelled. "He does look a lot like Chappu. I was surprised, too, the first time I saw him. But no matter what he looks like, he isn't Chappu. You shouldn't have brought him here in the first place!" She stated.

'Damn, and Wakka's been dealing with this all morning?' Matt thought, pitying the poor blitzer.

"Yeah but… he needed our help." Wakka said in what seemed, to Matt and Ryan,

a pitiful attempt at defense against Lu's seemingly unstoppable wrath.

"Excuses again?" Lu asked in annoyance.

"Yeah, but…"

"That's it. Enough! No more Wakka!" Lu yelled before walking off in a rage.

"Scary. So who's Chappu?" Tidus asked, coming out of the hut.

"My little brother. He looked a like you." Wakka said sadly.

"He's dead?" Tidus asked quietly.

'Tactful Tidus.' Ryan thought as he motioned for Matt to go around the back of the hut and make for the temple. "Well that was interesting…" Ryan said once they were safely behind the temple.

"Either I'm over perceptive, or Lu had a motive she wasn't showing. No way she's just angry that Wakka helped Tidus out." Matt stated as they sat down to digest what they had just overheard.

"Well either way, I don't think it's really any of our business." Ryan said as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the stone of the temple.

"What's none of your business?" Yuna asked from right above Ryan, causing his eyes to pop open in surprise and Matt to burst out laughing.

"Holy… crap man, she… schooled you!" He said through fits of laughter. Yuna looked from Ryan to Matt, confused and waiting for an explanation. "Ryan and me used to sneak around a lot. Sticking to the shadows, not being seen, sneaking up on people without them noticing until we tap them on the shoulder, or let them know we were there." Matt said when he'd regained control of himself. "Nobody ever seemed to be able to sneak up on us before, and Ryan never noticed you standing there."

"I see." Yuna said with a giggle. "Sorry."

Ryan shrugged. "Not your fault I wasn't paying attention. Don't worry, I'll scare you later and we'll be even." He said with a playfully evil grin. Even though he was joking he heard Yuna gulp, and noted her shifting uneasily. "Don't worry, it won't be bad. I'll probably just sneak up on you and not say anything until you notice me. That tends to do the trick."

"Well I have to go." Yuna said with a smile. "Take care, and keep outta Lu's way. She seems to be in a bad mood today."

"Okay, take care Yuna!" Ryan said as the two boys waved good-bye to the cheerful Summoner.

"Well now what?" Matt asked once she was gone.

"Well we could practice blitzball." Andy said as he walked up behind the two, though he didn't surprise either of them. The rubber on the soles of his shoes had been smacking around the temple for a while now.

"What, Wakka's actually gonna make them practice after that?" Matt asked, more then slightly surprised. "Guys got a hell of a lot of stamina, that's for sure."

Ryan nodded. "Well, it's either that or go fight some more fiends." He said, standing up with a grin. "I'd rather play blitzball, but I'll go either way, so long as Lu's not watching again."

"I don't care either way." Matt said. "But I'm not going down that path without my axe. Not after getting jumped like that yesterday."

"Well I for one don't wanna have to deal with any coyotes that I don't have to deal with. I'm all for blitzball." Andy said, absently rubbing his arm where the coyote had bitten him.

"Then it looks like we're going to be playing blitzball." Ryan said. "I'm surprised though Andy. Don't wanna pay those bastards back for your arm?"

Andy laughed. "I think me and Matt took care of that with the one in the ocean." He said as he reached into the large belt pouch and pulled out his gloves. "But if they show up again, I'll just have to give an encore!"

Laughing the three grabbed Ryan and Matt's weapons out of Wakka's hut before heading down to the ocean to train with Aurochs the rest of the day. When they were getting ready to leave for the day Wakka called the Aurochs into a huddle.

"Okay boys, the tournament starts tomorrow!" He said. "Now I got a few questions for you. First off, what's our goal?"

The Aurochs smiled and yelled in unison, "Victory!"

"Good, now next thing I wanna ask you is, since we've already let Tidus on the team, whaddya say we let these three on as subs, ya?" Wakka asked, shoving a finger at Ryan, Matt, and Andy who were too far away to hear the conversation. "They've gotten a lot better ya, and if anyone gets hurt it's not like we won't be used to working with them. Besides, they need our help and it's too late for them to get tickets to Luca." The Aurochs smiled and nodded before walking over and surrounding the three. "We was wondering if you wanna join our team, ya?" Wakka asked as soon as he got to the center of the circle. "There's that big tournament coming up in Luca. I'm sure somebody would recognize you there, and it's too late to get anymore tickets for the boat ride over."

The boys chuckled. "So _that's _what the team huddle was really about." Matt stated with a grin. "Sure, why not. Not very good at the game yet, but if you're offering…"

"Great, what about you guys? You two gonna join?" Wakka asked, turning on Ryan and Andy.

"Need you ask?" Ryan asked, and Andy nodded in agreement. "Jeez Wakka, we've gotta put everything you taught us to good use eventually don't we?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Wakka said with a laugh. "It's settled then. We'll pick you up tomorrow at noon, so don't go wandering off before then."

"What about Tidus? Have you told him when the boat was leaving yet?" Ryan asked.

"Nah, I'm gonna do that now, ya?" Wakka replied as everyone started up the trail to the village. The trip back was uneventful, aside from a lone coyote attack, which Wakka quickly disposed of with his blitzball, much to Ryan, Matt, and Andy's amazement. By the time they got to the village the sun had set, and everyone split up and wandered around. Exhausted from the days training, Andy, Matt, and Ryan went right to bed.

888

"Hey, you really are some kinda freak, ya?" Wakka said as he walked onto the beach, noticing Ryan despite the fact that the sun hadn't risen yet. "I've been looking all over for ya, what's up?"

Ryan shook his head. "Not much, just thinking."

"About what. Sometimes, it ain't so good to think about everything, ya?" Wakka said.

Ryan laughed. "I was just wondering why we are here. Why was it Besaid that we woke up at?"

"Hey, that's a good question, ya? Why did you four show up right here?" Wakka replied.

"To be honest, I'm a little scared." Ryan said quietly after a short period of silence, drawing a very surprised look from Wakka. "It's not your fault, don't worry about that. It's just, my whole life, I've pretty much been a nobody. Only one girl has ever had an interest in me, now she hates my guts. Nobody ever seems to notice me unless I make a scene. One day I just got fed up with making all those scenes, just to be noticed. I just disappeared. Matt and me. We more or less just disappeared, nobody ever noticed us. We were like brothers lost at birth."

"Wow, that's deep." Wakka said quietly.

"And since no one noticed us," Ryan paused, thinking of how to phrase his thoughts, "we decided to be invisible together. We'd make the people that noticed us, few as they were, glad that they did. Those that didn't, well there were a lot of them. Then we came here, and we went from being invisible to being on a blitzball team in a few days. We're friends with a Summoner, we've killed coyotes, and I've been hit by one lightning bolt too many. It's just a big change for how things used to be."

"That doesn't explain why you're scared." Lu said, walking up next to Wakka, still holding her doll.

"Why am I scared? Oh that's easy." Ryan said as he took a deep breath.

"It's just like the deep breath before the plunge, right?" Matt called out, just reaching the beach even though the sun was just starting to creep over the ocean. "That's what you said before, and you've got a damn good sense for danger on you."

"Yeah, the breath before the plunge is about right. Something is coming, and I don't like the feeling it's giving me." Ryan said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "And I'm usually right about these things too. Most of my family is like that. What the hell are you doing up, a few kids show up in your sleep or something?" Ryan asked, but Matt shook his head.

"Well that's a useful trait to have." Lu said flatly. "Being able to sense danger shortly before it appears?"

Ryan shook his head. "No, just the really bad things. Things that other people don't see, don't know about, or just refuse to believe. Like a leader betraying his people and lying about it."

"Oh, well that's still a good thing, ya?" Wakka asked.

"Maybe, but it's not like I've got any real use for it. Remember, we're the ones that go invisible."

"Well if you can go invisible, do it during a blitz game. That'd sure give us an edge, ya?" Wakka said. "Then we'd be able to bring the Crystal Cup back to Besaid, and keep it here without any problems!"

"Well I suggest we go back to the village." Lu said as she turned and started towards the path leading to the village.

"Oh Lu!" Ryan said, suddenly remembering he had been meaning to apologize to her. She stopped and turned. "Sorry about startling you before, when I grabbed you and all." She smiled slightly.

"Oh, I thin that you paid your debt for that."

"Yeah, about that. How'd you do that?" Matt asked, referring to the black magic.

"If we had more time I might have been able to teach you, however with our time coming short I wouldn't be able to teach you even a single spell." Lu said in her monotone voice.

"Actually, these two are going on the same boat as us, ya?" Wakka said causing Lu to stare in surprise. "They joined the Aurochs yesterday, the whole team decided on it."

"I see." Lu said, her small smile growing slightly larger. "Well, then perhaps I have enough time to teach you _one_ spell before we part ways at Luca."

"Only one, darn. Tough luck Matt." Ryan said with a laugh. Lu looked at him oddly. "What?"

"You don't want to learn black magic?" Lu asked, sounding somewhat offended.

"It's got nothing to do with that, I just know what it's like to get hit with a lightning bolt, in case you've forgotten." He said with a grin. "Me, I'd rather learn White Magic, like Yuna has!"

Matt laughed. "You really should play a cleric of Mask man, it fits you so well. (A/N: Mask is the god of thieves in Forgotten Realms Role-Playing Games) You love to use stealth, and you love healing people. And you never did like wearing restrictive protective gear either."

Ryan shrugged. "That's who I am, the stuff just slows me down. Besides, not enough people notice me to warrant wearing armor, and what about you Mr. Spellcaster. You don't exactly wear armor." Ryan turned the question around on Matt who also shrugged.

"Guess you've got me there don't you?" He said with a grin. "One spell does suck, but I guess it's a start. But which type to learn?"

"Oh come on. I'm pretty sure I know what you're going to take. Even though you don't know all the different base spells." Ryan said with a grin.

"There are four: fire, ice, thunder, and water." Lu informed. "It doesn't really bother me which one you learn."

"Now I'm positive I know what he's gonna learn." Ryan said as he lay down on the beach, watching the sunrise.

"I'd be hurt if you didn't." Matt replied.

"Well which one is it?"

"Thunder." The two said at the same time. "It's always thunder with this guy." Ryan finished with a sigh.

'Maybe there's a reason for that.' Matt thought as he thought back to his conversation with the Fayth. 'Yu Yevon, Sin, Dnortih, Vena, Usi, and Zedih, and Lusniec. Lusniec was the guardian angel, Yu Yevon was the strongest god, and Sin was the god of death. That leaves Dnortih, Vena, Usi, and Zedih. And they mentioned something about four elemental gods, and lightning.' Matt was brought out of his thoughts when Wakka's ball hit him in the back of the head.

"Come on, we've gotta get ready for the trip, ya?" Wakka yelled as Matt threw the ball back at the orange-haired blitzer who caught it.

"Shut up, I'm coming already." Matt yelled as he started up the path. By the time they had reached the village Tidus was awake and wandering out of the hut, seemingly half dazed.

"Hey! Sleepyhead! Something I wanna give to you!" Wakka said as they met up with Tidus. He pulled out a sword that looked like its blade was made out of water, thought it was just the metal it was made out of.

"Whoa! You're giving this… to me?" Tidus said as he carefully took the sword from the big man.

'Just what I was thinking Tidus.' Ryan thought as he glanced at Wakka.

"Damn, that's a nice sword." Andy said as he came out of Wakka's hut. "Who's is it?"

"Wakka just gave it to Tidus." Matt informed the late arrival.

"Wakka, that's the sword you gave Chappu." Lu stated in a voice that was a mixture of slight surprise and anger.

"Well he never used it. Where's Yuna?"

"We're taking the same boat as Yuna, right? Why do we gotta wait here?" Tidus asked as he put his new sword away.

"Yuna came to this village ten years ago," Wakka stated, "when the last Calm started."

"The Calm?" Tidus asked.

"Since then she's been like a little sister to me and Lulu. But she had the talent… She became an apprentice. Now, today, she leaves as a Summoner." Wakka finished.

"This is our journey… We should leave together." Lulu added in. Just then they noticed the brown haired summoner coming towards them, struggling to carry way too many things. "You really don't need all that luggage."

Yuna blushed a little. 'So she's shy.' Ryan thought with a small grin while Yuna explained that it was all gifts for the temples they were going to visit. 'Not exactly the greatest job for a person who's shy, if you ask me.'

"Okay, off we go!" Wakka said as he started up the hill. The group continued on at a steady pace until they reached the top of the hill. Suddenly Yuna stopped, and everyone with her.

"Take your time Yuna." Lulu said in the softest voice Ryan, Matt, and Andy could recall her using.

"Yeah, it must be hard leaving after living here for ten years." Ryan added in, cutting Tidus off. Wakka, Lulu, and Yuna walk to the nearby statue and begin to pray.

"Do you three know what's going on?" Tidus asked as the four outsiders waited in confusion.

"It's an ancient custom. People leaving the island pray here for a same trip. Chappu didn't pray that day. Said he'd miss his boat." Wakka informed. After a few more second the three stood up. "That should do it." He said. And they moved on until something that looked like a cross between a human and a lion that had been dyed blue jumped down from some ruins and attacked.

Before it had even landed completely it had sent Tidus and Andy flying to the ground with it's spear, barely missing Matt and Ryan who had been slightly farther back. "Damn man." Ryan yelled as the thing brought its spear around for another attack. As it shot forward towards Ryan he stepped to the side and pushed down on the bottom of his sheath, shooting it up and catching the follow-up swipe on the hilt of his sword.

"Go to hell!" Matt yelled as he took a swipe at the things back. It jumped over the attack, landing behind Ryan who jumped forward, barely avoiding another swipe aimed at his legs. "This thing is pissing me off." Matt stated flatly.

"Come on!" Tidus yelled, charging the thing head on, and receiving another trip to the ground as the thing knocked his legs out from under him.

"That worked well, didn't it?" Andy asked as he started to circle around the thing, staying just out of reach of the deadly spear.

"It's fast." Ryan stated. Matt just looked at him, wondering if he was stupid. He chuckled nervously when he saw Ryan pull the sheath from its holder, spreading his legs so that his knees were in line with his shoulders and slightly bent. His left hand was at the top of the sheath, just beneath the hand guard of his sword, and his right hand was hovering just in front of the pummel.

'Battou Jutsu?' Matt thought with a grim chuckle. "Damn man. Think you can pull that off?" Matt asked uncertainly.

"Do I have a choice in the matter? He's gonna have to block it or dodge it, you guys get him while he's distracted." Ryan whispered the last part, hoping the lion man didn't have abnormally good hearing. 'Come on, take the challenge.' Ryan thought as he watched the lion man knock Tidus to the ground again, Andy quickly following suit.

"Hey big boy blue!" Matt yelled, stepping in front of Ryan and bringing up his axe. "Come get me." 'You'd better be ready for this Ryan.' He thought as the thing charged him, spear flashing forward.

But Matt had already jumped to the right, leaving nothing in between the thing and Ryan. He heard the sound of the steel flying out of the sheath, the crack of something hitting bone, and two grunts followed by two bodies hitting the ground, all before he hit the ground himself. He spun himself around, raising his axe in case the thing was charging him. He blinked in surprise at what he saw.

The thing's spear was cut just before the wood met the metal tip, and it was favoring one leg as it stood up. Ryan had a growing spot of blood where the tip of the spear was embedded in his side, and was holding himself on one knee with his sheath, watching the lion thing carefully, holding his sword tightly in his right hand. Andy, and Tidus were looking at the Ryan, Andy with an expression of disbelief, Tidus with one of surprise.

'Guess it didn't go as well as he'd have liked.' Matt thought with another grim chuckle as he watched Ryan slowly stand up, wincing at the pain that must have been shooting through his side.

"That's enough!" Wakka said suddenly, looking mostly at the lion thing. "You okay Ryan?" He asked.

"I've got a spear head in me, but other then that I'm pretty good. How are you?" Ryan asked sarcastically through gritted teeth.

"Jeez, always with the sarcasm." Andy said with a sigh, not letting the blue assailant out of his sight.

"Not in the mood Andy." Ryan said as he slowly put his sword away and dropped the sheathed weapon to the ground.

"What's with that guy?" Tidus asked as Ryan pulled the metal out of his side so Yuna could heal his wound.

"Thanks." He said with relief as the healing magic finished its work.

"To answer you question Tidus," Lu said, drawing the attention of all the ones who had fought the lion man, "Kimahri Ronso, of the Ronso tribe. He's learned the fiends' way of fighting."

"That's not what I meant!" Tidus replied angrily.

"He's another of Yuna's guardians." Wakka added.

"Sometimes we don't understand him either. Kimahri doesn't talk much anyway." Yuna stated with a giggle. "But he's protected me since I was a child!"

"Well that's good to know I guess." Ryan said as he picked up his sword and put it back on the belt holder. "At least you're never in danger with him around."

"Well now that that's all done, what say we get to the boat?" Tidus asked as he and Wakka started back along the path. They encountered a few fiends along the way, but they quickly got rid of them, and before they realized it they were boarding the boat.

"So, I wonder what Luca is like." Andy stated as the three watched the crowd that had gathered to see the ship off. More then just a few were crying he noted, but didn't bring it up.

"Goodbye!" Yuna yelled one last time as the boat sailed away from port and out into the sea.

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Well there you have it people. Finally, a little light is shed on why Ryan, Andy and Matt are even in Spira. I was originally going all the way to Luca with this chapter, but it seemed a little too long compared to my other chapters, so i decided to split it up a little. I hope more people review this. 


	4. Sin and Sinspawn

well here we are, at chapter 4... i haven't gotten many reviews, but people that do review say the story's pretty good. i need more reviewers, but thank you all the same to those who have stuck with me these past four chatpers... i'm not all that great at writing yet, but i think i'm getting better as i go. anyway,Sephirothxx i think this chapter is a little longer then the last one. sorry, but deal with it. and now on to the seemingly long awaited chapter 4...

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Chapter 4: Sin and Sinspawn

"Man, it's been a long time since I've been on a boat." Ryan muttered as he leaned against the railing at the back of the ship, watching everyone in his line of sight out of boredom.

"Peaceful, isn't it? It's amazing how at ease a mind can be in the vast emptiness of the ocean." Matt said as he and Andy joined Ryan in his study of the passengers.

"That was a bit deep for you." Ryan said with a sidelong glance at his friend.

"They say something like that in the Last Samurai, when Algern's coming to Japan." Matt replied coolly.

"Ah." Andy and Ryan replied in unison. "Thought so. I knew it sounded familiar." Andy finished.

"So now what?" Matt asked after a period of silence. "We've pretty much figured out its Yuna, so what do we do now? With people like Wakka and Lulu around, she isn't in too much danger if you ask me."

"Calm before the storm." Ryan muttered quietly.

Matt sighed. "Right." He said somewhat sadly. "Forgot about that."

"What are you two talking about?" Andy asked.

"My family. We've got a sixth sense for things that are wrong or out of place. Sort of like a natural instinct you could say." Ryan said with a chuckle when he saw the look on Andy's face. "Call it a premonition."

"Ah." Andy said. "So we're here, more then likely anyway, to protect Yuna from whatever the hell's giving you this feeling." Ryan nodded. "This trip just keeps getting better and better."

"Yeah it does." Matt stated in the same he had used earlier. "It's gonna be a hell of a trip though, that's for sure."

Ryan grinned. "Yeah, that's probably gonna be an understatement." He stated. "Hey, I thought Lu was gonna teach you black magic." Ryan said, suddenly remembering the conversation Matt and Lulu had had before they left Besaid. Before Matt could reply the ship rocked violently as it went through a very large wave, nearly sending the three overboard. "Well I think I know why I had such a bad feeling." Ryan said grimly, pointing into the water towards the front of the boat.

"What the hell is _that_?" Andy asked as a giant fin appeared in front of the ship. "And what the hell are those guys about to do with that harpoon?"

"You don't think they'd really shoot that thing, do you?" Ryan asked as he watched the crew load the harpoons, yelling the entire time.

"Sin." Matt said in a breathless voice. Ryan and Andy looked at him in confusion. "That's what one of the crewmen was yelling, Sin. It's the thing the summoners keep killing!"

"God damn it." Andy yelled as he ran towards the front of the ship. Before he made it half way there a bug looking thing with wings appeared and attacked him. Ducking under the attack Andy countered with a running punch, slamming all of his momentum and body weight into it, which went all the way through to the other side.

"Damn, what the hell was that thing?" Matt asked as he and Ryan caught up with Andy.

"I don't know, but it looked too much like a bug for my liking." Ryan said flatly as they watched the fireflies rise from the twitching corpse. Suddenly the entire boat cut sharply to the left. Before anyone could do anything about it Ryan was flying over through the holes in the railing, and he jerked to a stop when his sheath got caught between two pieces of wood that didn't want to break. "Some help!" he called out, desperately trying not to panic. Without thinking Andy and Matt each grabbed one of Ryan's shoulders, and pulled him up. "That was a little too close for me."

"It's about to get a lot worse." Matt growled as two more of the insect looking things charged down the boat towards the teens. "What say we do some bug exterminating?"

Ryan and Andy grinned. "That's about the only thing I like bugs for." Ryan said as he drew his sword.

"I've never agreed more." Matt said with a smile as he drew his axe. Much to the confusion of the two boys the bug things stopped. "What in the name of god-" Matt started, but the rest of the sentence was cut off when the things fired spikes at them. He and Andy flattened themselves against the wall on the left, feeling some of the spikes cut through their shirts.

"This is why I hate bugs!" Ryan yelled as he ducked under most of the spikes. Despite his best efforts his shirt was torn to piece in the back, and dozens of long cuts appeared on his back. Before he had a chance to get back up a very familiar spear tip ran one of the things through.

"Little boy blue!" Matt said with a grin as the fireflies started leaking out of the limp body. "Good to see you here."

"Get to room. Safe." Kimahri said bluntly before knocking the other bug of the boat and into the water.

Without the bugs to block the way the boys saw the desperate battle raging up ahead between their friends, a few of the crewmen, more of the bug things, and the giant fin looking thing that was now sporting two harpoons from it.

"The idiots actually shot the thing with harpoons." Andy whispered with disbelief. "How stupid are these people?"

"Later Andy." Ryan said as he and Matt took off towards the battle, weapons drawn.

"Hey, get outta here, ya?" Wakka yelled as he noticed the boys running towards the fight. "We got this under control, no need for you to be here, bruddas."

"You don't seem to mind Tidus being here." Matt said as he brought his axe down on one of the monsters, cleaving it in two. Wakka stared at the kid.

'Why the hell didn't he do that to the coyote, ya?' he wondered as he launched his blitzball towards the giant fin.

"If you're going to be here protect Yuna. Without her we will have a problem healing people." Lu said flatly as she launched a thunder spell at the fin. Suddenly a second one crashed into it, connecting in nearly the same spot. She glanced back at Matt as another spell flew down, just missing the giant fin. Despite the fact that he had missed several fireflies started coming out of the water.

"That was a big fish." He said as he shrugged, smiled evilly, and started fighting his way towards Yuna and Tidus.

'He picked that up quickly.' Lulu thought in slight surprise.

"Good to see you three are still alive." Tidus said somewhat winded. He was bleeding from a dozen scratches, but seemed fine despite the superficial wounds. "These things just keep coming."

"Great." Andy said as he punched one of the things in its leg, snapping it off. Suddenly three spikes shot off of Sin and landed on the deck. As they unfolded themselves, and much to the annoyance of everyone present, turn into three more of the bug things. "What the hell are these things?"

"Sin scales." Yuna informed. "They're born from Sin's skin when it separates from its body."

"And Lulu and Wakka are just adding fuel to the fire." Matt muttered as he watched Wakka's ball knock off some of Sin's skin.

"Please distract the sin scales." Yuna said as she started to do the dance that she had done back on the island.

"Right oh." Andy said as he charged the fresh batch, quickly cutting through one's armor. Suddenly a thunderbolt landed behind him, and fireflies started to filter up around him.

"You're really getting good at that, aren't you?" Ryan asked as he glanced over at Matt who smiled evilly. "I'll take that as a yes."

Suddenly Valefor appeared in the sky. For a moment it sat there, gathering energy in its mouth. Then it fired all the energy at Sin, which dove into the water, tipping the boat forward and sending Tidus over the edge.

"Wonderful." Ryan muttered as he ran to the front of the boat. Just as he was about to dive in to help Wakka save Tidus he was stopped by a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Wakka and Tidus will be fine. Let's hurry up and finish off the sin scales." She said in an emotionless voice. Ryan sighed, but did as he was told and went back to fighting the sin scales that were no longer infinite in number. Between Valefor, the three teens, Lulu, and Kimahri the sin scales were gone before Wakka and Tidus broke the surface, looking rather beat up.

"Some help woulda been nice, ya?" Wakka stated in an annoyed voice as he and Tidus were helped back on board.

"I was going to, but Lu stopped me." Ryan said flatly.

"You only would've slowed them down, and given them one more person to worry about." She replied evenly.

"Sorry to interrupt, but look at that!" Andy yelled, pointing at what looked like a giant floating fish above a port that he assumed they were supposed to dock at. Before they were close enough to do anything Sin attacked, almost completely destroying the town, and the Sin was long gone.

"I will defeat Sin… I must defeat Sin." Yuna said after a few moments of somber silence. Ryan looked at her in surprise.

'Guess this is what she really wants to do.' He thought, surprised she was so determined to beat the monster after it's display of power. "We didn't even hurt it."

"What?" Lulu asked, turning away from the wrecked town.

"Sin, we didn't even hurt it." Ryan repeated, his eyes narrowing. "All of that, and I doubt it even has a scratch on it anymore. If we had done any real damage it would've run off to lick its wounds. But it decided to destroy the town instead. We didn't even hurt it."

"Well, that's a wonderful thought. You're such a damn optimist, you know that?" Matt questioned sarcastically. "Come on, you've gotta look on the bright side once and a while. Even I'm not that bad."

"Where do you see a bright side out of that?" Ryan asked somewhat crossly, pointing at the ruined town. "I don't care what anyone says, those people didn't need to die."

Less then ten minutes later the boat docked on what seemed to be the last remaining dock. The rest of the day was spent helping to rebuild the town, until the sun started to set and most of the people gathered around the remains of the docks.

"What the hell is going on now?" Andy wondered as he looked up from hammering an annoyingly loose plank back into place.

"Dunno." Ryan admitted. "Looks like they're not in a very good mood though. You gonna check it out?"

Andy nodded as he dropped his hammer onto the dock and headed for the growing group. "Uh, what's a sending? We going somewhere?" He heard Tidus ask Lulu when he was close enough to hear the two talking.

"You truly are clueless. Are you sure it's your memory that's the problem? The dead need guidance. Filled with grief over their own death, they refuse to face their fate." Lu said quietly. "They yearn to live on, and resent those still alive. You see they envy the living. And in time, that envy turns to anger, even hate. Should these souls remain in Spira, they become fiends that prey on the living. Sad, isn't it? The sending takes them to the Farplane, where they may rest in peace."

"Summoners do this?" Tidus asked.

Instead of waiting for Lulu to reply, he turned and watched Yuna, as she walked onto the water, before pillars appeared and lifted it up, appearing wherever her dance took her. The firefly things were coming out of everywhere, surrounding Yuna and adding an eerily beautiful glow to the horribly sad scene that brought tears to everyone watching. Even Matt and Ryan, alone on the docks, couldn't help but shed a few silent tears.

"It must be tough being a summoner." Tidus said sadly.

"Yuna choose her own path. She knew from the beginning what it meant. All we can do is protect her along the way. Until the end." Lulu said quietly as Yuna walked back onto solid ground.

"You mean until she beats sin." Andy asked quietly. Lulu never answered.

"I hope… I hope I did okay." Yuna said sadly, a single tear rolling down her face as she approached the three.

"You did very well. They've reached the Farplane by now. But… no tears next time, hm?" Lu said in a sisterly voice that left Andy once again wondering if she was really as cold hearted as she let on.

Several hours later Ryan found himself staring up at the stars, listening to the quiet breathing of everyone around him. 'What's wrong with me?' He thought as tears started to slide down his cheeks. 'It's not like anyone I know died, and even though it's sad, why am I crying?'

"Are you okay?" Lulu's voice rang out through the quiet night, causing Ryan's heart to skip a beat.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied quietly.

"You don't sound fine." Lu replied quietly, but didn't push the subject.

"What about you?" Ryan asked after a long, and very awkward silence. Lulu turned to him, confused by what he was getting at. "On Besaid, the day after Yuna summoned Valefor, you were yelling at Wakka all morning because of Chappu." Lu gasped in surprise.

"How did you know about that?" She asked wit an uncommon outburst of emotion. "It was so early, no one was up then!"

Ryan smirked. "Didn't I tell you and Wakka that I was good at becoming invisible?" He replied simply. "And I get up a 4:30 in the morning Lu, I'm up before some people go to bed. So what was really making you so angry? I doubt you'd have been that way if it really was just about helping us out."

Lulu was quiet for a moment. "Chappu and I were close. He once said that…" Lu stopped and laughed quietly drawing an amazed look from Ryan. "Never mind. The past is the past. We shouldn't dwell on it."

"Sometimes it helps to talk about things though." Ryan said, standing and turning to face the black mage. "But you don't seem like the kind of person to do that."

"You should get some rest." Lu said quietly. "You'll need it once you get to Luca."

"Please Lu. Do you really think Wakka's gonna play three teens that have never played an actual game before if he doesn't have to?" Ryan said with a chuckle.

"I suppose you're right." Lu said, smiling genuinely for the first time while she had been around him. "This has been… fun. Perhaps we'll have to do it again sometime." She said as she turned and went back to her bed.

Ryan smiled. 'Just one more person to watch out for.' He thought to himself as he lay back down and went to bed.

888

"Hey Tidus, get your lazy ass outta bed! You too Andy." Ryan yelled at the two, throwing a nearby blitzball at the two. "Everyone's waiting for you."

"What the fuck dude! That was just cruel!" Andy retorted with a yawn. When the two had gotten outta side Wakka called the entire team together for a huddle.

"On to the temple, where we pray for victory!" Wakka said. Everyone agreed, and with Lulu, Yuna, and Kimahri they started for the temple. Along the way Wakka told Ryan, Matt, Andy, and Tidus about how a great summoner who had defeated Sin had lived at Kilika's temple, and had been a great blitzer, which had cause them to lag behind somewhat. When they caught up to the rest of the group Lulu turned to Tidus.

"Yuna is saying she wants you with us." She said bluntly.

"I want to ask you to become my guardian." Yuna restated.

"Yuna! What? This is no time for jokes, ya? He may be a blitz whiz kid," Wakka said jabbing a finger in Tidus' direction, "but up against a fiend, he's a newbie."

"Not a guardian, then… I just want him nearby." She said, blushing slightly.

"What? What do you mean?" Tidus asked, causing Ryan, Andy, and Matt to smile to themselves.

"It's just that, well-" Yuna started.

"We're all going to the temple anyway. Can't this wait till later?" Lulu asked suddenly. Ryan raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" Yuna said quietly.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I'm just not really sure what's going on." Tidus replied with a laugh.

"You have my apologies." Yuna stated anyway.

"Hey Yuna," Ryan said, waiting for the summoner to turn around, "didn't he say there was nothing to be sorry about. You don't have to apologize for everything you know." He said with a smile.

"Right." Yuna replied, returning the smile. The group moved on, chatting amongst themselves until they reached a set of rocky length stairs.

"Now I know how Rocky felt." Ryan muttered as he looked up the stairs. Suddenly Yuna took off running up them, followed closely by Wakka, Tidus, and the rest of the Aurochs. The three teens laughed when Tidus passed Yuna. From their angel it looked like she tried to smack him in the arm, but she missed. Suddenly Datto, one of the Aurochs who had already finished yelled something.

"Everyone quick! Sinspawn!" Wakka yelled, appearing at the top of the stairs before disappearing.

"Man, there is never a moment of peace around you four is there?" Ryan wondered aloud as the four of them took off up the stairs. Matt was the first to reach the stairs, and he couldn't believe what he saw. Tidus, Wakka, and Kimahri were being thrown around like rag-dolls by a big plant looking thing's vines, and Yuna was casting cure spells faster then Matt had thought possible.

"What in the name of god?" Andy asked in disbelief as he and Lulu reached the top of the stairs.

"Where's Ryan?" Matt asked, noting the damn-Japanese-assassin wanna-be's absences.

"You're a bit off today Matt." Ryan said as he walked out from behind Andy. "What the hell do we do about this?"

"Kill it." Matt and Andy replied in unison, drawing a sigh from Ryan.

"How?"

"Protect Yuna. Without her spells we won't last very long. Sinspawn are much stronger then normal fiends. Try not to get hit if you can avoid it." Lulu said as she cast a fire spell on the thing. It's replied in the form of a rather thick vine slamming into the group of four, sending them all flying.

"Maybe we should be protecting you too." Ryan said as he stood up and drew his sword. "One of you watch Lulu, I'll get to Yuna."

"Why you?" Andy asked to which Ryan held up his sword.

"Because I'm the only one that uses defense out of the three of us." Ryan said flatly.

"I guess he's got us there…" Matt said with a grin. "Okay, I'll keep an eye on Lulu, you take care of Yuna, and Andy can act as a diversion if one of us messes up."

"Why am I the diversion?" Andy complained.

"Shut up and do it, we don't have time to waste on reasons, now move!" Matt yelled, causing Ryan to take off towards Yuna and Andy to stop halfway in between the two mages.

"Hey Yuna, you look like you could use a hand." Ryan said when he saw Yuna struggling to keep away from the thick tentacles that were attacking everything within reach. With a screech drawing slash Ryan cut deeply into the tentacle, green blood splattering everywhere. Two more fire spells, followed by a thunder spell slammed into the monster, drawing another scream from the thing.

Suddenly Lulu yelled, casting eight fire spells on the thing in rapid succession. "Well that… should just about… do it." Wakka said breathlessly as all of the tentacles went limp.

Lulu nearly collapsed from exhaustion, but Matt caught her at the waist. "Damn, you've got to teach me how to do that one of these days." He said as he let her down gently. Suddenly one of the tentacles shot out, slamming into Tidus and sending him flying into Kimahri. While everyone watched the two fly back in surprise another tentacle swung out and slammed Wakka into Andy, knocking the wind out of Wakka and Andy out completely.

"We need to get out of range of those tentacles, Yuna go help Lulu." Ryan said as he kicked an incoming tentacle to buy Yuna a little more time, only to have another swipe his legs out from under him. Cursing he slashed at the things randomly, hitting more times then he expected to. He also managed to cover himself and his sword in the fiends green blood. "That's not good." He muttered as he pushed off the ground, having bought a few seconds reprieve which he used to make sure Yuna and Lulu were safely out of the fiend's reach.

"What say we kick this things ass?" Matt asked as he struggled over, limping slightly every time his left leg touched the ground. "I'll get that thing to open up with some spells, you kill its ass."

"Great." Ryan said with a nervous grin. Suddenly the thing reared back, a fresh burn on what they assumed to be its face. Wakka was standing, still gasping for breath, but twirling his blitzball. Much to the surprise of Ryan and Matt, flames surrounded it, and they left another burn mark when they hit. While the ball was on it's way back to Wakka the fiend pulled the leaves up around itself.

"What you guys waiting for, ya? I can only buy you so much time bruddas." Wakka gasped out as he started to spin the ball again.

"Good old Wakka." Matt said as he prepared to cast his spell on the gigantic fiend. Before he could the things tentacle shot out and slammed into Wakka, throwing the winded blitzer into Matt, and throwing both of them down the stairs.

Ryan felt something inside of him snap, and he tightened his grip on his sword. The creature started to pull itself towards the two fear-struck mages. "I don't think so." Ryan growled as he brought his sword up over his head.

"Ryan are you insane? Get out of there!" Lulu yelled as she launched another fire spell at the thing. It didn't even flinch, and the fire lasted until it burned out on it's own. "What?" Lulu shouted in horror.

"Go to hell." Ryan growled as he lowered his sword so the tip was touching the ground and charged the fiend.

"What the hell is he doing, yelling this early in the morning." Andy asked as he looked up only to see Ryan go flying past him faster then he'd thought Ryan could run.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style, Do Ryu Sen!" Ryan yelled slashing the blade forward with in an uppercut like motion.

"Do Ryu Sen?" Andy asked in a confused voice as Matt reached the top of the stairs, heavily favoring one leg. Before anymore could be said the rock path, and a great deal of the dirt under it, ripped out of the ground and flew towards the Sinspawn. "Holy shit, he actually pulled off a Do Ryu Sen!"

"But that makes no sense, why would he still be charging?" Matt asked from the stairs.

'This had better work.' Ryan thought as he drew his sheath and shoved it onto the hilt of his sword until it touched the finger guard. "Die, you overgrown garden weed!" He yelled as he drove his sword into the thing's soft flesh, all the way to the finger guard. Before he could do anything else one of the tentacles wrapped around him and threw him back towards Matt.

"Not again." Matt muttered as he stepped to the side and grabbed Ryan by the collar of his shirt. "You've got some explaining to do." He yelled as he dropped Ryan onto the ground.

"Hit the sheath with a lightning spell!" Ryan yelled before he hit the ground.

"What the hell are you-" He stopped in mid sentence when he realized what Ryan had done. Spinning around he cast a lightning spell onto the sheath.

"What are you doing, wasting magic like that?" Lulu asked in annoyance. Matt just grinned.

"Just watch, you'll understand." Ryan said, propping himself up on the ground. Almost as if on cue the rest of the group stirred and gathered around the mages.

"What did you do to it?" Tidus asked as the Sinspawn started to thrash about violently.

"I made it a giant lightning rod." Ryan replied, and everyone else, except Matt, gasped as flames started to burn the thing from the inside out. "It's simple. If it was too hard to hurt on the outside, it must be soft on the inside, right? I just shoved my sword through one of the burns Wakka made with his ball. Then Matt hit the metal sheath with a lightning spell, and it traveled through the sheath, through the finger guard, through the blade, and into the thing. Since it's a plant it went up in flames, but it took a little bit for us to see it."

"You actually thought about all that?" Andy asked in surprise.

Ryan just grinned. "Never let your mind freeze up. Never." Ryan said as fireflies started to filter out of the thing's ashes. "Man, what's with those fireflies."

"Those are Pyreflies." Lulu stated. "They're the souls of all living creatures, and the sending sends them to the farplane."

"Oh. I still think they look like fireflies." Ryan said with a laugh.

"Well all's well that ends well, right?" Matt said as he helped Ryan to his feat. "And I guess you need a new weapon, huh?" He added as he looked at the twisted remains of Ryan's sword and sheath.

"Yeah, looks that way. But I don't think I'll need one anytime soon." Ryan said as Yuna started to heal the battered group. 'Now i get why we're here. Yuna's gonna need all the help she can get to stop sin...'

* * *

and there you have it! ryan's first special attack, and he uses it as a diversion. the teens have officially begun to understand why they're in Spira, and just how powerful sin is. Next chapter should be fun to write, but it might be a little delayed. i just got Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms and it's really fun. i highly reccomend it to anyone who enjoyed the first one or a baulder's gate game for playstation 2. if enough people want to know what Do Ryu Sen means in english for some reason, i'll add the translation here. but it's gonna take more people complaining then i have reviewers at the moment, so deal with it. anyway, once again i'd like to tell any Yu-Gi-Oh or Bakura fans to go check out From the Past by sailiorarctic. as always, read and review people! cya next update! 


	5. Lords and Ransom

Hurrah! I got a new reviewer!

Welcome Nightfire04! I'm glad you checked it out. In fact i'm so happy, i'll give you the website that i got the spelling of ryan's techinique from. you might wanna save it, because he'll be using more attacks on the site. it is **http:kenshin.gamesurf.it/index.php?lanen&pg33** and i know i said i wouldn't, but i didn't expect to get a new reivewer. that really made my day, which was kind of sucky, so thanx once more!

lightningwizard- yes, i'm glad you understand that my time is too important to be spent proofreading my story a bunch of times (cough)(choke)(cough) anyway, i'm glad you liked the chapter too!

Sephirothxx- ha, someone _did _notice that. you're the only person who caugth that, or just the only one who bothered to mention it!good for you. that's actually answered towards the end of this chapter.and i thought the last chapter seemed long, but this one is actually longer, so hopefully it'll be as good as the last one. maybe it just seemed that way because i'm writing it... (ponders on it until smoke comes out of ears)

Oh well, now on to the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 5:Lords and Ransom 

After Yuna had patched everyone back up the group moved on, talking about various things. Wakka asked Tidus some question about whether they had fiends in Zanarkand.

"Just a few. It's a big deal when one shows up though." Tidus answered. "Hey! Since when do you believe me about Zanarkand, anyway?"

"I been thinking." Wakka answered. "Maybe people Sin gets to don't die. Maybe Sin carries 'em through time. Like a thousand years through time. And then, one day, maybe they just pop back, see?"

Ryan and Matt noticed Lulu's pissed expression at Wakka's comment, and gave each other sidelong glances. "Amazing. Simply amazing." She said crossly before turning on Wakka. "You make up one theory after another, refusing to face the simple truth. Sin didn't take Chappu anywhere. He crushed him and left him on Djose shore! Your brother won't just pop back. Oh, and one more thing. No matter how much you want it, no one can take Chappu's place. No one can replace Sir Jecht, for that matter." Tidus winced at the name Jecht, and Wakka sat down. "And there's no replacement for Lord Braska, either. It's pointless to think about, and sad." Lulu finished before walking off in rage.

"Wow." Ryan said simply as he watched the black mage walk away. "I think she needs some anger management."

"I agree." Matt stated.

"I could never be what Chappu was." Wakka said sadly. Standing back up he continued, "Well stuff happens. Best not to worry." After a short walk the group found the temple, and 2 players that Wakka said were from the Luca Goers, the best team in blitzball. "You here to play for victory too?"

"Us? Pray?" The first man asked in disbelief. "Who needs to pray? The Luca Goers always win!"

"Oh yeah? Then why you here?" Wakka countered.

'Overconfident bastards.' Ryan thought as he watched the two men sneer.

"We've been praying for some competition this year!" The second man said, still sneering.

The first one started again. "So, what's your goal this time? You gonna "do your best" again? Ha! It's too bad your best isn't good enough. Why even bother showing up?"

"This time we're playing to win!" Tidus stated, suddenly stepping forward.

"Ohhh, play away. Just remember, even kids can play, boys." The first guy said again.

"We have a saying where I come from." Ryan said, catching the attention of the two departing Goers. "Those who talk the loudest usually can't back what they say. And don't forget," He added with a grin, "every dynasty falls eventually. And it's usually to nobodies too."

"Are you saying that you think the you Aurochs are gonna beat us?" The second Goer asked with a smirk.

"No, I'm saying that we're gonna crush you."

"Well, well. Confident aren't you? We'll settle this in Luca." The first guy said before the two walked off, laughing.

"See you in the finals!" Wakka yelled in return.

"We'll beat them. We have to!" Tidus said, his hands shaking in anger.

"You know that team?" Yuna asked.

"Putting people down… they're as bad as my old man!"

"But, sir Jecht was a kind and gentle man!" Yuna replied in surprise.

"Well not my Jecht." Tidus said flatly.

"But…" Yuna started but Ryan put a hand on her shoulder and Tidus walked away. "Why does he hate sir Jecht I wonder?"

"Who knows?" Ryan replied. "He'll tell you eventually. He's just not ready yet." Yuna nodded somewhat sadly. "Anyway, don't you have a temple to pray at? Lu's probably furious at us for taking so long."

Yuna giggled. "You're right. Let's go everyone." Yuna said as her and her guardian started into the temple, Tidus, Matt, Ryan, and Andy following along behind.

Once in the temple everyone went a different way. Wakka and Tidus went off to one side of the room to pray while Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri went to wait by the entrance to the cloister. Ryan, Matt and Andy found themselves standing alone among the statues of the former high summoners.

"Okay Ryan," Matt started as soon as the three were alone, "you've got some explaining to do. Where the hell did you learn how to do that?"

"Uhhh… where we fought the thing?" Ryan asked more then stated, his answer drawing an annoyed look from his friends. "I don't know, it just sort of happened. What do you want me to say, Kenshin Himurai possessed me and did it? Or maybe his master, Sejiro Hiko?"

"It'd be a better explanation then you just suddenly understanding how to do the Do Ryu Sen." Andy stated flatly.

"Well I don't know how I did it. It just sort of happened." Ryan protested. Before either of his interrogators could continue the most scantly clad person they'd seen since arriving in Spira, and a muscular guy that looked like he could bench the three of them with ease came up an elevator and started talking to Yuna. By the look on Yuna's face they'd said something wrong, because the usually friendly Summoner was flushed with anger. That or the temple lights were playing tricks on their eyes. By the time they'd gotten to the group the two were already leaving.

"What was that all about?" Andy asked as Yuna took a deep, calming breath.

"Just someone who decided to insult Yuna for having too many guardians." Tidus answered as they headed towards the elevator.

"The Fayth is below, ya?" Wakka said when they were standing around the elevator. Ryan and Andy noticed Matt's eyes widen for a split second at the mention of the Fayth, but said nothing.

"The Fayth?" Tidus questioned.

"But first the Cloister of Trials." Lulu stated, ignoring Tidus' question. "Wakka? Kimahri? Ready?" The two nodded.

"Strength everyone!" Yuna said as her and her three guardians stepped onto the elevator. When Tidus went to get on Kimahri pushed him back off.

"Hey, what gives?" Tidus demanded, and Matt slapped him upside the back of the head.

"We aren't guardians you mofo. We aren't allowed in the Cloister of Trials." Matt stated, drawing a nod from the four on the elevator.

"We'll be back as soon as we can, okay?" Yuna said as Lulu activated the elevator.

"Oh sure! Soon like 'tomorrow' soon I'll bet!" Tidus complained in annoyance. Matt, Andy, and Ryan laughed which frustrated Tidus even more. "Doesn't it bother you guys that we can't help them?"

"A little. But rules are rules." Ryan replied. "Face it, we aren't guardians, so we can't go down. Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri will take care of her so don't worry. Just sit back and get some rest."

Tidus just pouted, but offered no further argument. After a while the two people that had gotten Yuna angry returned. "Where's Yuna?" The woman asked. Tidus just jerked his head towards the elevator. "Why aren't you four down there?"

"We aren't guardians." Tidus answered flatly. "That means we aren't allowed in, right?"

"Hmm. Not a guardian you say?" Dona asked as the big guy walked forward and picked Tidus up.

"Hey, wait! Put me down, help!" Tidus yelled as he struggled against the man's strength.

"He said to put him down!" Ryan yelled as he jumped at the big man, slamming into his knees, and knocking him onto the elevator.

"God damn kids." Matt muttered as Andy jumped into the fight, kneeing the big guy in the face. Suddenly the elevator started to go down.

"Why didn't you help them out?" The chick asked as she turned on Matt.

"We aren't supposed to go into the trials, miss…" Matt stopped, waiting for her to fill in her name.

"Dona." The woman replied flatly. "And do you know how dangerous the cloisters can be? And only the one kid was armed. They'll probably die."

Matt laughed. "If there is one thing Ryan can do, it's keep them alive through a stupid puzzle. He's annoyingly good at surviving until someone comes to bail him out." He replied as the elevator came back up with only the big man. "I would like to know one thing. Why are you doing this?"

Dona smiled evilly. "Just a game."

"Well if it's a game," Matt said as he stepped past the big guy, "I'd hate to miss out on the fun. Besides, I'd hate to have to kill your big friend over here if he tried to force me down there."

"You, kill Barthello?" Dona asked in disbelief. "I don't think so."

"So it's Barthello?" Matt replied with a grin. Dona blinked, realizing he hadn't known her guardians name. "Thanks for the information. If we get caught, I'll just ell them who exactly threw us down here."

'Damn you.' She thought as the elevator started down.

"Well, you guys seem none the worst for wear." Matt stated a few minutes later when he reached the level his friends were at. The first thing he noticed was Ryan holding the red bladed sword that he'd seen Tidus wielding when they'd first arrived on Besaid.

"Tidus is letting me borrow it." Ryan answered the un-asked question.

"Hey guys, this is bad. Very, very bad." Tidus stated drawing a chuckle from the small group.

"No idea what we're doing. We're probably going to have to fight off dozens of fiends before the end of this. And none of us are guardians which means that if we get caught there is going to be trouble." Andy stated in a carefree voice that surprised Tidus. "I have no idea what you're talking about Tidus. This sounds like fun to me."

"Well either way, we better start moving." Ryan said before the group started into the trials. Most of it was finished, though they did find some kind of armor that none of them could wear. By the time they'd gotten to the room outside the Chamber of the Fayth they were tired, beat up, and had fought more then a dozen battles.

"Like I said Tidus," Andy said as they approached the door, "it was fun, right?"

Pushing the door open they found Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri dispersed throughout a large room. Upon seeing them Lulu scowled and Wakka's face dropped. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Wakka yelled at them.

"Hey, it was Dona and Barthello's fault." Matt said flatly.

"Yuna will be the one to suffer the consequences!" Lulu hissed at them.

"I knew there was gonna be consequences for this. Damn it." Andy muttered to himself.

"What consequences?" Ryan asked.

Wakka was the one to reply. "She could be excommunicated!"

"So what's in there?" Tidus asked, pointing to the double doors at the far end of the room.

"The Fayth, remember?" Wakka asked, and Ryan noticed Matt's face show a hint of annoyance at the mention of the Fayth, maybe even anger.

'Not surprising.' Ryan thought. 'Matt seems to hate a lot of people. But why would he hate the Fayth I wonder…'

"Oh yeah, that thing. Right." Tidus replied, obviously not remembering what the Fayth were.

"The Fayth are people who gave their lives to battle Sin." Lulu stated. "Yevon took their souls, willingly given from their still-living bodies. Now they live forever trapped in statues. But when a Summoner beckons, the souls of the Fayth emerge once again. That's what we call an Aeon."

"That's a lot of power to have in one room." Ryan noted and the rest nodded.

"So what's Yuna doing in there?" Tidus asked.

"She prays with all her heart for a way to defeat Sin." Wakka informed.

'Well this has been an educational trip.' Andy thought. Just then the door to the Chamber of the Fayth opened and Yuna came out. "Guess it's time to go."

As soon as the group left the temple a mob of people gathered around Yuna, congratulating her on acquiring another Aeon. Rather then being caught in the crowd Ryan, Andy, and Matt weaved and bobbed their way through it.

"Well wasn't that fun?" Ryan asked sarcastically. "Oh yeah, Matt, question."

"What?"

"How come every time someone mentions the Fayth, you get an angry look on your face?" Ryan asked, turning to face his friend full on.

"Because the Fayth are the ones that brought us here. And the last time I saw those bastards, they more or less told me that if we didn't do what they wanted they were going to kill us." Matt replied, anger seeping into his voice. "Damn, where are the fiends when you need them?"

"Hey, you three! You are with Lady Yuna and her guardians, aren't you?" A man farther down the path yelled the question to them.

"Yeah, why?" Ryan yelled back.

"We need her help! We are trying to destroy a powerful fiend that has been causing problems, but it refuses to die! Please, you must get Lady Yuna to help us immediately." The man said as he ran up to them, and they saw that he was covered in a bunch of cuts.

"Luzzu?" Ryan asked, suddenly remembering the man from the crusaders tent in Besaid.

"It's good to see you again, but please get Lady Yuna! We need all the help we can get!" Luzzu replied.

"Matt..." Ryan started, but when he turned around his friend was already heading back towards Yuna who was now with Tidus. "Okay then. Luzzu, lead the way."

"Yuna, we've got a bit of a problem." Matt said when he reached the Summoner. "The crusaders were trying to get rid of a fiend that was causing problems, but they're having a hard time. Andy and Ryan are probably on their way there, but I don't think that'll be enough."

"All right, let's go." Tidus said as he drew his sword and took off running, the rest of the group falling in behind him. By the time they reached the area where the fiend was, Ryan and Andy were the only two still able to stand, and that didn't look like it that was going to last much longer. The massive plant like thing with a mouth had four tentacles, each ending in two curved points. Two of them were covered in blood, and Ryan was holding his right side with his left hand, trying to stem the blood flow while fighting.

"Cure!" Yuna yelled, pointing her staff at Ryan who glance back and nodded thankfully.

"What kept you?" Andy asked as Yuna repeated the spell on him

"Shut up." Matt replied.

"Everyone, back up!" Yuna yelled as she started to go through a serious of movements that everyone recognized as an Aeon summoning, but not Valefor's.

"Time to see the new Aeon." Matt muttered as a burning glyph formed on the ground below Yuna. After that the ground cracked, and a big, dog looking thing with two horns, red fur, and claw like fingers burst out. It's appearance startled everyone, especially Yuna since it launched her high into the air, but as she fell it caught her and placed her on its shoulder. When it landed it let her down, turned towards the plant bulb looking fiend with claws and roared.

"Holy shit! What the hell is that?" Matt cried out in surprise.

"I dunno, but I like it." Andy stated with a grin. "Reminds me of fire." As if to confirm Andy's suspicions the dog like Aeon cast a powerful fire spell on the plant fiend.

"This Aeon has the power to stand against Lord Ochu, lord of the forest!" Luzzu gasped in surprise. "Praise be to Yevon for its arrival."

'Seems like it should be more like Praise be to Yuna for her arrival if you ask me.' Matt thought as he watched the massive Aeon rip off two of Ochu's tentacles.

"Ifrit, Hellfire!" Yuna yelled suddenly. In response Ifrit roared, and Lord Ochu was engulfed in a swirling ball of flames, which then detonated, instantly killing the powerful fiend. "Thank you." Yuna whispered as she dismissed the Aeon.

The three teens stared at the ashes that remained of Lord Ochu in disbelief. "Well, let's get back. We got a ship to catch, ya?" Wakka said with a grin, acting as if nothing ever happened. It wouldn't have taken long for them to get back to town, but Yuna insisted on healing all of the crusaders who had survived the fight. That added with annoyingly frequent fiend battles slowed them down quite a bit.

"Off to Luca at last! The matches start as soon as we get there so rest up on the way, ya?" Wakka said when they found their boat, the S.S. Wino.

"Luca, eh? It's about damn time." Andy stated as they boarded the boat. "I wonder what it's like."

"Probably big." Matt stated. "Given the fact that there's a tournament there. And it's got a good blitzball team too, even if they are a bunch of arrogant bastards." Matt added as he noticed the two Luca Goers from earlier boarding. The two glared and walked over.

"What was that? Is that the whining of the team that hasn't one a game in ten years?" The first one asked.

"What's your name pal?" Ryan asked with an icy smile that sent shivers down Matt's back.

'Damn Ryan. What the hell is with that smile of yours?' Matt thought, watching his friend suspiciously out of the side of his eye.

The man hesitated at the sight of Ryan's smile. "Bickson." He said somewhat uncertainly.

"And I'm Graav." His friend said with more confidence, having missed Ryan's smile. "Why does a wanna-be like you wanna know? Do you want an autograph or something?"

"Just wanted to know what names I should put on your gravestones after we kill your team in the tournament." Ryan said with a smile. "We'll see you in the tournament."

"God I hate ass' like them." Andy stated as the two Goers walked away. For the rest of the day the three explored the ship, finding their rooms after Ryan returned Tidus' sword. Below deck they found the engine room and were amazed to see chocobos for the first time.

"Damn," Matt said after the caretaker had finished explaining that they powered the ship, "these things are like giant chickens!"

Ryan burst out laughing. "Now you can get your army together Matt!" He said, referring to an old joke about Matt taking the world over with giant, biologically alter, man-eating chickens.

"Guess I'll just have to take some of them with me when we go back." Matt said with a laugh.

"Hey, you three look like you're well off." A man said as the teens came out of the engine room. "You're friends of Lady Yuna yes? She asked me to replace your weapon earlier, something about loosing yours in a fight with a Sinspawn. Anyway, I'm not going to turn down a request from such a kind Summoner. Please, take a look at my selection. I'll even through in a replacement shirt too!"

"And you are?" Ryan asked, not recognizing the man.

"Oh forgive me. I'm O'aka the 23rd, merchant extraordinaire. Now please, take your pick. Lady Yuna has already paid for your replacement in full."

'In full? Wow.' Ryan thought as he glanced at the weapons lined up for show. He noticed that O'aka had two katanas, one costing significantly more then the other even though they looked the same. "Why is that one so much more then this one?" He asked, confused.

"Well this one is the speed blade, which allows its user to use haste and slow." O'aka said pointing to the less expensive blade. "And this one gives the user intimate knowledge of his opponent through the sensor ability."

"And I can take either one?" Ryan asked in disbelief. O'aka nodded. "Wow. I'll take the second one. I like to know my enemies."

"A wise choice." O'aka admitted as he handed Ryan the sword. "And take this as well!" O'aka said, throwing Ryan a black long sleeved shirt with silver flames decorating it. "Well have a nice day, and if Soa desires it we will see each other to do business once again!"

"I hope so." Ryan said as he put his sword into his holder and switched his torn up t-shirt for the black long sleeved shirt, though he did keep his sweatshirt. "Well, I guess I should thank Yuna the next time I see her, shouldn't I?"

"Would be the right thing to do." Andy said as the three went back up on deck just in time to see Tidus hit a blitzball twice, jump up, spin, and kick the ball out into the ocean.

"Holy hell!" Ryan stated in disbelief as Tidus muttered something.

"Whoa, what's that called?" Wakka yelled, he and the Aurcohs surprising Tidus, Andy, Matt, and Ryan.

"Doesn't have a name. Anyone can do it if they try." Tidus replied, but from the way he said it Matt, Andy, and Ryan were pretty sure that was a lie..

"Show us one more time, ya?" Wakka requested. Something drew Tidus' attention. Ryan looked up to see Yuna waving and then looked back in time to see Tidus perform the shot one more time. After that he walked away and started talking to Yuna.

"Guess you're thank you will have to wait." Matt stated flatly.

"I'm gonna learn how to do that shot." Ryan stated. "That looks like way too much fun to not learn."

"Man, can you ever keep your mind focused on one thing?" Matt questioned.

"Yeah, once and a while." Ryan stated. "But seriously, that was an amazing move." Suddenly a blitzball hit Tidus in the back of the head.

"Show me that move again, ya?" Wakka called out. Tidus grinned and performed the move again. After that everyone disbanded, Andy and Matt heading off to their rooms.

"Got a problem?" Ryan asked, walking up and leaning on the railing next to Tidus "I mean, as happy as you looked when you were doing that shot, you seemed distracted by something." There was a seemingly eternal silence before Tidus replied.

"I'm… not sure I'll be able to play in the tournament." Tidus admitted quietly.

"Any particular reason?"

"That shot… it was my old man's shot. The Jecht Shot March III." Tidus said with a chuckle.

"Well it's certainly amazing." Ryan admitted, a little bit of envy in his voice. "I don't think I'd ever be able to pull something like that off."

"Why not?" Tidus asked in surprise.

Ryan shrugged. "I dunno, why would I be able to? My god, I'd never seen anything like that before."

"You could do it, if you tried anyway. Like I said, anyone can do it." Tidus replied.

"Really? You think so?" Ryan asked.

"Yep, I'm sure of it. My old man said I'd never be able to do it once, said he was the only one in the world that'd ever be able to do it." Tidus added. He laughed sadly. "Guess he was wrong, wasn't he?"

"Looks that way." Ryan answered instantly. "But you still didn't answer my question. Why don't you think you'll be able to play in the tournament?"

"I just have a bad feeling." Tidus answered. "And my bad feelings tend to be right."

Ryan laughed which drew an annoyed look from Tidus. "Sorry, but I've got that feeling too. But tell me this… if you let every bad feeling you get stop you, when will you ever move forward in life?"

Tidus thought about the words, going over them in his mind. He smiled. "Hey, you wanna learn my old man's shot?" Tidus asked, grinning.

Ryan smiled. "I thought you'd never ask. I take it this means you're going to play in the tournament?"

Tidus shrugged. "We'll see. But I think it'd be a good idea to have someone with this shot on the team. If I do play, well, while one is good, two is even better."

Ryan smiled as Tidus began explaining the basics of the Jecht Shot. Three hours, and what seemed like 500 failed attempts later, Ryan finally did it. "Holy… shit…" He gasped as he collapsed onto the ground, his fists aching. "I didn't expect to have to use… my left hand to do it."

Tidus laughed. "Well, it isn't the best looking Jecht Shot, but it sure as hell got the same results." Ryan grinned at the compliment. "To be honest I didn't think you'd pick it up in just three hours. I didn't think you'd pick it up before the tournament."

Ryan laughed this time. "Don't worry about it. I didn't either. I just figured that if you got back to having fun with blitzball, maybe it'd convince you to play in the tournament. This was an added bonus."

"Right, well it worked." Tidus admitted. "Now come on, let's go to bed. You'd normally be getting up in, roughly, four and a half hours."

"Wonderful." Ryan muttered as he took Tidus' outstretched hand and stood up. Together they wandered to their rooms. Ryan was pretty sure he was asleep before he'd even hit the pillow.

888

"They are there." The Fayth said, surprising Andy who whirled around, drawing his fist blades faster then he'd thought he could.

"God damn, don't scare me like that." He said coldly as he put his weapons away. "Now who the hell are you talking about? And where are they?"

"They are the two that still know the legend. One is of light, yet is dark. The other is of the dark, yet is light. They are in Luca, awaiting your arrival." The Fayth said drawing an annoyed sigh from Andy.

"Ryan's the one who's good at riddles, and I don't know about matt, but not me." He said crossly. "So stop talking in them and give me a straight fucking answer."

"We cannot tell you anymore then we already have. You must discover the answer for yourself." The Fayth replied. "But remember, not all is as it seems. The one who appears to be in light is the one of darkness. The one who appears to be in darkness is of the light." The Fayth said again.

"Ok," Andy said, annoyed, "anything else you dick heads wanna tell me?"

"Do not decline the offer." The Fayth said cryptically.

"Alright, that's it. One riddle is bad enough, but what the fuck does 'do not decline the offer' mean?" Andy asked, but instead of a reply from the Fayth he received a bright light surrounding him. "Ass holes." He yelled before he had completely vanished. The Fayth smiled when he was gone, knowing much more then they'd allowed Andy to believe. Indeed they did know who was the man that was truly of the light, and who was the man that was truly of the dark. But where was the fun in telling them outright?

888

"So that's Luca?" Ryan asked in disbelief. He'd just woken up, the sun having risen over an hour ago. Matt walked up behind him, yawing and rubbing his eyes.

"Holy hell, that's a big city." Matt said in surprise. From a distance it looked almost as big as Kilika. "I guess that's where they play blitzball." He said pointing to the giant sphere of water that was being held together by a force neither pretended to understand.

"I think you're right." Ryan agreed.

"Wow, you guys got up late." Andy said as he came up from below deck.

Matt looked in confusion from Ryan to Andy. "Guys? As in plural, multiple, not singular? As in Andy was up before both of us?"

"Yep." Andy said with a grin.

"I had a hell of a night." Ryan stated simply. "But it was worth it."

"What do you mean it was worth it?" Matt asked. "What the hell is worth losing enough sleep that Andy woke up before you?"

"Hey, I had a rough night too." Andy muttered. "I saw the Fayth. I'm glad you're both up, because the fucking riddle they gave me is pissing me the hell off. I couldn't get back to sleep after I woke up because of it."

"Wow, that's a tough riddle then." Ryan said. "What'd they say?"

" They said 'They are the two that still know the legend. One is of light, yet is dark. The other is of the dark, yet is light. They are in Luca, awaiting your arrival.' And they also mentioned something about not declining an offer." Andy said, repeating the riddle in the most annoying voice he could manage.

"One is of light, yet is dark. The other is of dark, yet is light. That's more then a little tricky." Ryan said flatly. "Did they say anything else?"

"Ummmmm…. Something about not everything being as it seems." Andy said after thinking it over for a few seconds.

"Well that helps a lot." Matt muttered to himself.

"I wonder…" Ryan started, staring off into space. "One of the times I talked to the Fayth they said something about informing a powerful fighter that they want us to help them. They said he'd find us and help guide Tidus and us. Maybe he's one of the two that the Fayth were talking about?"

"Could be." Andy said.

"We need more information. We just don't know enough right now to figure anything out." Matt said. "And it really sucks." Ryan nodded in agreement as Tidus walked up and slapped him on the back.

"So, you ready?" He asked with a grin. "Gonna be able to pull it off?"

Ryan grinned in reply. Before Tidus had started teaching Ryan the Jecht Shot they'd agreed to keep it a secret until Ryan had a chance to use it in a game. "Hell yes."

"Good. It's gonna blow Wakka away. Not to mention the other team." Tidus added, and then the two shared a laugh at the confused look on Matt and Andy's faces. "But we'll probably have to teach them how to do it once they see."

"Probably." Ryan agreed.

"Once they see what?" Wakka asked as, walking up behind the two who started to laugh once again. "I missed something, ya?" Wakka asked Andy and Matt.

"Us too Wakka." Matt replied. "Us too."

Twenty minutes later they heard the cheering of the crowd, and the announcers of Luca announcing their arrival.

"Well, well, well! If it isn't the Besaid Aurochs. They're a living, breathing statistical impossibility! I've never seen a team this bad! That's right! In twenty-three years they've never made it past the first round! Only a few die hard fans are in the audience today." The fist announcer said.

"Best of luck to them, and a safe journey back to Besaid."

"Right Jimma. Move right along, our next team is… Here they are folks! Our very own Luca Goers! They've got power. They've got speed. They've got teamwork. They're an all-around first-class team! And they're back home in Luca!"

"Without a doubt they're the favorite this year, Bobba. And after the way they dominated last year, it'd take a miracle for them to lose today."

"You can say that again Jimma. Look at the crowd folks! Look at the crowd! Looks like all of Luca has turned out to cheer the Goers on. They know, I know, and you know folks! The Luca Goers are number one!"

"It's like this every year, ya?" Wakka said when the announcers were finished talking. "Don't let it bother you."

Before anyone could say anything Tidus climbed up on a crate. "Tidus!" Ryan yelled, throwing him a megaphone that was lying on a nearby crate.

"Stop right there, Goers! You guys are smilin' now, but not for long. 'Cause this year, us Aurochs are taking the cup!" He yelled into the megaphone, which amplified his voice making it incredibly loud. The Goers, the fans, and everyone else stopped for a second and stared in disbelief as Tidus climbs down from the boxes while laughing to himself.

"What in Yevon's name were you doing up there!" Wakka demanded of the smaller blitzer.

"We sure stood out though." Datto said.

"We were on the sphere!" Letty added.

"We were?" One of the other Aurochs asked.

"Maester Mika's here!" Someone shouted.

"Already?" A woman replied.

"The number three docks!" another man yelled as a group of people took off towards the number three docks.

"What's up now?" Tidus wondered aloud.

"Maester Mika has arrived, that's what!" Yuna said in an excited voice.

"Mika? Maester?" Tidus asked in confusion.

"Maester Mika is the leader of all the people of Spira. He comes all the way from Bevelle." Lulu informed. "The tournament is being held to honor his fifty years as Maester."

"Fifty years." Matt said with a low whistle. "That's a long time to be leader of all the people of Spira."

"Shouldn't he have retired by now?" Tidus asked.

"Hey! Mind your mouth, now." Wakka chastised.

"Let's all go see him!" Yuna said.

"Lead the way." Matt said and Yuna took off for dock three, everyone falling in behind her.

"I can't see a thing!" Tidus complained when they arrived about five minutes later.

"Shhhh." Wakka hissed as an old guy stepped off the boat, followed by a man with the weirdest hair Ryan, Matt, or Andy had ever seen. It was spiky and blue and the guy had Japanese or Chinese symbols on his chest and a shirt that showed most of his chest, down to just below his stomach.

"That's a Guado, right?" Someone in the crowd whispered.

"Who could it be?"

"Isn't that Maester Seymour?" Someone asked as everyone started to pray to the two Maesters.

"People of Spira, I thank you for you generous welcome." Mika said before turning to Seymour. "Rise, Maester Seymour. And all of you as well. I present to you the son of Maester Jyscal Guado who departed to the farplane a fortnight past. As some of you already know he has been officially ordained a Maester of Yevon."

The man with the blue spiky hair stepped forward. Something about him gave Ryan the chills, and his eyes narrowed until they were barely visible. He noticed he wasn't the only one; Matt was glaring at the guy too. "I am Seymour Guado. I am honored to receive the title of Maester. In life, my father Jyscal worked to promote friendship between Guado and man. I vow to carry on his legacy, and to fulfill my duties as Maester to the best of my abilities." Seymour said and everyone started to bow.

"You too! Bow your head!" Wakka hissed at Andy and Tidus. After that Seymour left. "Really psyches you up, huh? All right, last meeting before the match. Hustle." Wakka said before running off to the locker room.

"Let's get going! We've got a few games to win!" Ryan yelled as he took off after Wakka. When he got to the locker rooms Wakka was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Wakka?" Tidus asked, coming in a few seconds after Ryan.

"At the match-up draw." Datto told them.

"We had to play the Goers in the first match last year." Letty said sadly.

"The year before that too, and the one before that!" Jessu added.

"Well we woulda lost to anyone anyway." Keepa stated indifferently.

"We we're gonna win this year!" Ryan said suddenly.

'Man, he's fired up.' Matt thought as he chuckled nervously. "Is this how you were when you played football too?"

"Nah, football wasn't as much fun." Ryan stated with a shrug. "And this is a much better sport."

"Cap'n Wakka!" Datto said as Wakka walked in.

"We're playin' the Al Bhed Pshyces first. If we win-"

"When we win you mean." Matt corrected, drawing a smile from everyone on the team.

"Okay, when we win, we're in the finals! That's right, we got seeded! Just two wins and we're the champions, ya? But first things first, let's go over the basics!" Wakka said as the team started to go back over the basics of the game.

Midway through the review Yuna threw the doors open. "There you are!" She yelled at Tidus. "Someone says they saw sir Auron in a café!"

"Who?" Andy asked in confusion.

"Sir Auron is a legendary guardian. He guarded Lord Braska, Yuna's dad, ya?" Wakka informed him, a hint of awe in his voice.

"Yes, now let's go find him!" Yuna said excitedly.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" Wakka yelled. "The game starts like real soon. C-come back quick, ya?"

"Hey, I'll be right back!" Tidus said with that carefree grin of his.

"Yeah, okay." Wakka replied sullenly.

"Hey Wakka, relax. Andy, Matt, you two go with'em. Make sure that Tidus is back in time for at least the finals." Ryan said, taking charge. "I'll stay here in case they need any help."

"Damn man, why are you the one staying. This is so much work." Matt complained as he followed Tidus, Yuna, and Andy out the locker room doors.

"Hey, thanks, ya?" Wakka said after the others had left.

"Don't worry about it. I'm here to help, right?" Ryan replied. "And relax would you? Matt may not look like it, but he's a really reliable guy. And he's good at keeping track of time too. He'll have them back in time, or at least by the finals."

"Yeah, I hope so." Wakka replied.

"Relax Cap'n. We've got this one in the bag. Play to win, right!" Datto said. Suddenly someone knocked on the door. "What's in the name of Yevon?" Datto cried out when he answered it.

"What's wrong Datto?" Wakka asked.

"Captain, you gotta look at this!" Datto yelled as he sprinted across the room, knocking down everyone in his path to get to Wakka. "The Al Bhed. They'd kidnapped Yuna! They'll only let her go if we throw the game!"

"What?" Wakka yelled, and the rest of the Aurochs groaned.

"This is bad." Ryan muttered. "Guess it's a good thing I stayed behind. You can handle those Pshyces without me, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, why? What you gonna do?" Wakka asked.

Ryan smiled. "I'm gonna find Lulu, and we're gonna get our friend back." Ryan said as he grabbed his sword and ran towards the door. Just before he reached it the door flew open and he went flying into Lulu.

"Get off me! I have to talk to Wakka!" She yelled, throwing Ryan to the side. "Wakka, Yuna's been kidnapped!"

"We know! Now stop standing there and help me find her!" Ryan yelled as he stood up.

"What do you mean you know? Wakka come on!" Lulu yelled.

"We'll cast a fire spell in the air if we get Yuna back in time Wakka!" Ryan gulped, grabbed Lulu by the wrist, and started pulling her down the hall. "Listen, if Wakka's not in the game against the Pshyces they'll probably kill Yuna. For us to save her we need Wakka to play blitzball."

"So you're going to help me get Yuna back?" Lulu asked, surprise evident in her voice.

"What, do you expect me to leave a friend in danger? Come on, I'm not evil." Ryan stated in an offended voice.

"So where do we start looking?" Lulu asked, regaining her composure.

"Yuna said something about a café before they went off. My guess is that if they got her, it was there or close to there." Ryan said. "But it's just a guess. We'll have to wait to find out if I'm right."

"There it is!" Lulu said, pointing to a rather small building.

"Lulu, Ryan! Good timing." Matt said. "Come on, we've gotta get going."

"The Pshyces have kidnapped Yuna. In exchange for her safe return they want the Aurochs to throw the game!" Ryan yelled as they took off. "The ship they came on was at dock 4, that's gotta be where they took her."

"Duck!" Andy yelled as a metal arm shot out at them. Ryan jumped to the side, knocking Lulu out of the way in the process, while Kimahri and Tidus jumped back. Matt turned and ducked slightly, letting the arm slam into his axe and send him into a roll that ended abruptly when he hit Andy's legs.

"That hurt!" Matt yelled as he drew his axe and charged the machine.

"We don't have time for this!" Ryan yelled. "Wakka and the Auroch's will lose if we don't get Yuna soon."

"Thunder!" Lulu yelled, frying the thing before Matt could reach it.

"So it's gonna be like that is it?" Matt muttered as they continued on until they came to a dead end.

"Damn, this has got to be the Al Bhed's doing!" Andy stated, punching a nearby wall.

"We'll have to go around the long way!" Ryan said.

"What if we split up? Me, Andy and Ryan try and climb over this barricade, while you three go the long way. If we get over then we'll be able to finish them quickly, if we can't get over then, well, run quickly you three." Matt said with a nervous chuckle.

"Good idea, but it might not work." Ryan said. "We need Lulu to cast a fire spell once Yuna's safe, that way the Aurochs know that they can stop letting the Pshyces win."

Suddenly a box next to Ryan burst into flames, causing long buried instincts to kick in. He jumped forward, landed and continued into a roll, drawing his sword and keeping it far from his body in the process.

"Did I forget to mention Lulu taught me how to cast Fire while she taught Matt how to cast Thunder?" he asked with sarcastic innocence.

"Well that solves that problem. Get going you three." Ryan ordered as he started towards the blockade. Before he got there 2 more machines showed up, but it didn't take long for the three friends to dispose of them.

After several failed attempts at climbing the thing Matt growled in frustration, slamming his axe into it with surprising ease. "Hey, this thing isn't all that thick."

"You think they're all empty?" Andy asked as he looked up the thing, noticing many boxes in it.

"Screw this guys. We really don't have time for this." Ryan said in an annoyed voice as he put his sword tip right over the ground. "You guys are gonna wanna move." He added before taking a deep breath. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style, Do Ryu Sen!" He yelled as he pulled his sword up as fast as he could. The concrete that came up with it slammed into the barricade. When the dust settled there were a bunch of holes throughout the thing, but only one was big enough for them to fit through. "Let's go."

"God damn it! Why can't I have a cool attack like that?" Matt asked as they started through the hole. As he passed through it a blitzball, or something resembling a blitzball, flew through the air right in front of him, slamming into the wall and putting about a three foot dent into it. 'Yep, it was definitely a blitzball. But who the hell could throw it that fast?' He wondered "What the hell? Who the fuck did that?" He yelled as another one slammed into the wall, a little closer then the first one. Matt spun around, ducking as a third slammed into the wall where his head had just been. Glancing at the Al Bhed ship he saw a massive machine that stood on only two legs, but had two massive generators on it. When they spun another ball shot out and slammed into the wall, peppering the three with fragments of concrete.

"Oh boy, this should be fun." Andy muttered sarcastically.

* * *

muwahahahahahah! how will ryan, andy, and matt deal with the Oblitzerator! will they save Yuna before lulu, tidus, and kimahri get there! i'll let you know when i figure it out! until then just review! next chapter, the rest of the blitzball tournament, some surprises for the goers, maybe even a few questions the game left unanswered will be answered! not to mention a big aeon and an old guy with a big sword! until next time! 


	6. The Men of Light and Dark

Muwahahahahahahahahah (cough)(choke)(cough). sorry bout that. we had another snow day, so you get 2 updates in 2 days. this chapter took me from 5:30 am to 2:39 pm to write, so you'd all better freakin' review or burn in !#!

first off, i'd like to welcome Da KeR MysTeRr to the story! i'm glad you like the story. i do plan on continuing. And probably make a sequel. who knows. i know i plan to.

Sephirothxx- well what do you expect? i have no life aside from this and school, and we've had off the past four days because of snow. so i've had no life for four days. i think i'm starting to go a little crazy actually... and i'm glad you liked the "Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark **_III_**"since it was annoying to write. i haven't played the game in awhile. just wait until this chapter. You see it twice.

and now on to the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 6:The Men of Light and Dark

"I hope Lu, Tidus, and lil' boy blue are okay. We just might need their help." Matt said as the three took off up the loading ramp, ducking on a regular basis to dodge the fast flying blitzballs.

"Drao'ja kuddah bycd dra machina! Nih! Nih!" An Al Bhed yelled as the few that were scattered around the docks started for the stadium. They didn't make it far. As soon as they started to run the machina began peppering them with blitzballs.

"Ouch." Andy muttered as they got onto the boat. The deck was almost completely clear, except for a lone crane.

"Wonderful, no place to hide." Ryan muttered with a nervous laugh. "Ideas anyone?" He asked hopefully.

"That's your department." Matt replied. "And I'm pretty sure that, since you asked, we're pretty much screwed?"

"Well, yeah. 'Bout the only thing I can think of is, well, lightning. It did work on the little ones after all." Ryan said with a sigh. "Other then that… pound the hell out of it I guess."

"Brilliant idea master tactician." Matt muttered as he slammed a thunder spell into the machina, which replied via blitzballs at the entire group. "That didn't go so well."

"Did anyone else notice that those big generator like things always spin when it shoots blitzballs?" Andy asked as they got back to their feet.

"Maybe that's the answer. Stop those things from spinning and maybe we'll be able to stop it from shooting us with blitzballs. At the very least, maybe it'll slow them down enough to dodge." Ryan stated with a great deal more confidence than he had.

"Okay, so how do we do that? Unless you can cut through steel we're kind of out of luck." Matt said.

"Ever the optimist, aren't you?" Ryan replied. 'There's gotta be something…' Ryan thought as he glanced around quickly. Nothing. 'Read the signs beneath the beneath. Why am I quoting Kakashi in at a time like this?' Ryan thought as his gaze fell on the crane. "Crane…? Crane!" He yelled as he sprinted towards it, barely dodging a blitzball that nearly took off his head. 'Shit.'

"What's wrong? Hurry up and do whatever the hell you were gonna do!" Matt yelled as the thing peppered him and Andy with blitzballs again.

"It doesn't have any power!" Ryan yelled back. He jumped ten feet in the air when a lighting spell hit the thing. "Holy shit, warn me next time!"

"Clear!" Matt yelled sarcastically as another bolt hit the crane, and another, and two more after that. "That enough?"

Ryan didn't answer. Instead he tried to turn it on. It started, he grinned, and Matt and Andy laughed in nervous relief. 'Okay you ball slinging mofo. Let's see how you look from underneath!' Ryan thought as he turned the crane and locked the claw onto the machina.

"Did you… know Ryan could work… a crane?" Andy asked Matt as they watched the machina get pulled higher into the air.

"Are you complaining?" Matt replied and Andy laughed. "I didn't think so. And now's not the time to be asking him things like that anyway."

"Good point." Andy admitted. Suddenly there was a loud crash as the machina came crashing back down to the deck, the generator looking things still in the claw's grip. "Well, think that finished the thing?"

"I hope so, but I have the oddest feeling that it didn't." Mat replied in a somewhat sad voice. As if to confirm Matt's suspicions a blitzball went flying past them, but it was moving significantly slower then the ones that had been shot at them earlier. "Didn't think so."

"Hey, we can see them, which means we can dodge them." Andy replied as he stood up and brought his fists blades into a defensive position.

"Clear!" Ryan yelled as he released the generator, which landed on the machina. "Well, that was fun."

"Yeah, but it was so… anti-climatic." Matt replied quietly. Suddenly the generators started shaking. "Or maybe not."

"What the fuck does it take to kill this thing?" Ryan screamed as he drew his sword.

"Damn you, you fucking machine!" Matt yelled as he charged the thing.

"What the fuck dude! Get back here, it can still kill you!" Ryan yelled as he took off after Matt, hoping that the different weights of their weapons would let him catch up. It didn't. With a primal battle cry Matt drove his into the machine causing a wave of sparks to wash over him, singeing his skin.

"Fuck you!" Matt yelled. His hands flew through three ninja seals that Ryan knew all too well.

The first was the left hand laid horizontally in the air, with it's fingers spread while the right hand came up from underneath it, interlocking the fingers with the middle and ring fingers bent flat against the left hand while the pinky and index finger were straight up in the air. It was known as the Seal of the Ox. The second was a little simpler. The right hand looked like he was making a gun out of it, only the pinky, ring, and middle fingers weren't only partially bent. The left hand was still horizontally flat, with the right thumb and the left pinky interlaced. That was the Seal of the Hare. The last was much simpler. It was simply both hands pressed together with the right hand on the bottom and the left on the top, and the right thumb and left pinky being intertwined. That was the final seal, the Seal of the Monkey.

"Chidori…" Ryan muttered in disbelief as Matt grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, palm facing upward. Sure enough a ring of lightning surrounded Matt, jumping into the ball of electricity forming in his hand.

"What the fuck!" Andy yelled as he watched the strange turn of events. Suddenly the group heard the sound of thousands of birds chirping in unison. "This is so fucked up! I can hear the birds, but I can't see them!"

"There are no birds." Ryan said, a smile tugging at the sides of his mouth. "It's the electricity. It's giving off a sound that is exactly like 10,000 birds chirping in unison. Only instead of 10,000 birds, it's 10,000 volts of electricity."

"Hey, you told me about this in 9th grade, didn't you?" Andy said, vaguely remembering Ryan describing something similar on one of their many walks home.

"Yep. That's the same thing I was telling you about." Ryan admitted.

"Lightning Edge!" Matt yelled as the ring of lightning faded away, along with the sound of the birds. "Go to hell." With those three icy words he thrust forward with his right hand, easily piercing the heavily armored machine. He quickly jumped back once smoke started coming out, landing halfway across the deck next to Andy.

"Holy shit!" Ryan yelled as he threw himself to the ground and covered his head, waves of flames flying over him.

"Down!" Andy yelled as he jumped to the ground, dragging the half-dazed Matt with him. "Ryan!" He yelled when the flames subsided enough for him to look towards his friend who was laying face down, and was also way too still for Andy's liking. "No way…" Andy muttered in disbelief.

"Andy go! Get Yuna!" Matt yelled upon seeing Ryan covered in burns. 'Shit Ryan, why'd you get so close?'

"Ryan!" Yuna gasped in surprise as a door the three had missed earlier opened to reveal the Summoner. "Cure!" She yelled, pointing her staff at Ryan more on instinct and panic then anything else.

"Oh my god!" Ryan cried out as the healing spell washed over him, snapping him back to painful consciousness. He picked himself up on his elbows, trying to ignore the disorienting pain in his back.

"I'm so sorry!" Yuna squealed, thinking the pain was the reason for his cry.

"Andy! The signal!" Ryan yelled, ignoring Yuna for the moment.

"Shit!" Andy yelled, spinning around and casting a fire spell high above them.

Ryan collapsed back to the cold deck of the ship and felt another healing spell wash over him, nearly nullifying the pain. "Thanks." He said, standing up slowly. His vision was a little blurry, and his back stung like hell, but other then that he seemed to be fine.

"Yuna!" Lulu yelled as her, Tidus, and Kimahri came around a corner.

"Lulu!" Yuna yelled, waving to the three.

"What kept you? You missed a hell of a show!" Andy yelled as he walked over to the side to watch the three approach.

"What do you mean? What did we miss?" Tidus questioned when he, Lulu, and Kimahri reached the ship.

"Later, we've got to get back to the locker room!" Ryan yelled as he, Andy, and Matt took off. "The rest is up to you!"

"What does he mean the rest?" Lulu asked.

"What the hell is that!" Tidus yelled, pointing at the burnt remains of the machina.

"It was a machina. They Al Bhed were going to use it to keep people from helping me." Yuna said quietly.

"And those three…" Lulu trailed off, glancing at the boys who were just rounding the corner. Yuna nodded.

"They blew it up. It nearly killed them too." She said with a hint of sadness.

"Well Yuna is safe, so let's get back to the Locker room. I've gotta get ready for the next game!" Tidus said with a grin.

"You mean we're in the finals?" Yuna asked in disbelief. Tidus grinned and Lulu nodded. "Then let's hurry!"

888

"Wakka! Did you miss us out there?" Ryan asked as he, Matt, and Andy threw the doors to the locker room open.

"Whoa, you okay Wakka?" Matt asked, noticing the team captain lying on the bench.

Datto shook his head. "He got hurt in our game against the Pshyces. But even hurt he managed to score the winning goal."

"Wow, that's a hell of a guy for ya." Ryan said quietly. The rest of the Aurochs nodded.

"So who are we playing?" Matt asked.

"The Goers. Without Wakka we don't have a chance." Jessu responded sadly. Ryan laughed. "What's so funny, this is serious!"

"The Goers! Those pansy ass wanna-bes?" Ryan asked in disbelief. "Come on, are you gonna let Wakka go out without winning a single cup?" Ryan said before switching to a more serious mood. "That's not exactly what I'd call a team playing to win."

"But who do we have that can play as well as Wakka. Not to mention that me, Datto, and Letty are beat up bad." Jessu said quietly.

Wakka tried to pick up a blitzball but it dropped and rolled across the floor. "Miss me?" Tidus called from the locker, holding the ball.

"Lady Yuna!"

"Are you okay?"

"All this because of me! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Yuna apologized, bowing repeatedly.

"How can you let some Al Bhed kidnap you?" Wakka called out from the bench.

Tidus stepped in. "Hey, let it go, all right?"

"Don't go near Al Bhed anymore, okay?" Wakka requested. "They're trouble." Yuna nodded and walked out with Kimahri.

"No time for warm-ups guys. Who's hurt?" Wakka said. Datto, Letty, and Jessu raised their hands slowly, wincing as pain shot through their bodies. "Ryan, Matt, and Andy will replace you three until half time, at least." Wakka informed. "And Tidus is gonna replace me."

"Alright!" Ryan and Tidus yelled in unison.

Wakka turned to the Aurochs. "I got something to tell you boys. After this game… I'm retiring."

"Is that really the kind of thing to tell your team right before a game?" Matt asked Ryan, surprised that Wakka would tell his team this right before the biggest game of their lives.

Ryan grinned. "When you played baseball, if you were really good friends with the team captain, and you were in a tournament final, and you hadn't won a game in 10 years, and he said that he was quitting after that game, what would you do?" Ryan asked as Wakka finished his speech.

"I guess I'd play harder then ever before." Matt admitted with a grin.

"Then why'd you bother to ask?" Ryan wondered aloud as he followed Tidus and Keepa into the area right before the sphere entrance.

"Okay guys, hands in. What are we gonna do?" Tidus asked.

"Win!" They all shouted together.

"Why are we gonna do that!" Tidus demanded.

"For Cap'n Wakka!" Keepa yelled as they all threw their hands up and started out into the sphere.

From inside the locker room Lulu and Wakka watched them enter.

"What's this Jimma? The only people I recognize one the Aurochs are Keepa and the kid that said the Aurochs were gonna take the cup! Where's the rest of the team?"

"I'm not sure Bobba. It really makes you wonder what Wakka's thinking, sending in four nobodies in the final match of a tournament. But the Aurochs have already managed one victory, do they really expect to beat the Luca Goers?"

"I'm not sure Jimma. But it looks like the four new guys are Tidus, Andy, Matt, and Ryan. They're the subs! Oh my god, the Aurochs are using all of their available subs in the final match!"

'I never did like commentary.' Ryan thought as he listened to the announcers' continual ridicule of the Aurochs. Tidus lined up in the middle, with Matt and Ryan on his sides. Botta and Andy lined up behind the three in the defensive position, and Keepa swam to the goal. Ryan noted that Bickson lined up right in front of him, and flashed the Goer the same ice cold smile he'd given Bickson on the boat to Luca. Bickson shuttered visibly and Graav took a swing at Tidus when he wished him good look.

"Well it looks like they're already going at it folks! This looks like it might be one of the most intense games we've ever seen from the Aurochs. And who knows what to expect from these four new guys!"

Tidus and Ryan shared a glance and grinned as the ball shot up from the bottom of the sphere. Graav grabbed the ball and passed it to Bickson who had to stretch to catch it. As he turned to start swimming Ryan slammed into him, knocking the ball loose and sending Bickson out of the pool.

"Oh my god! The game has literally just started, and already people are being knocked out of the sphere! Hold on folks, this may not be so boring a game after all!"

'That felt really good.' Ryan thought as he grabbed the ball and started swimming. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a Goer coming straight for him. Rather then try to dodge Ryan turned and threw the ball to Tidus who caught it and charged forward, dodging to tackles. Turning back to his current problem Ryan felt the Goer wrap his arm around Ryan's waist and start swimming towards the edge of the sphere. 'Ass-hole!' Ryan thought angrily as the edge of the sphere get closer. Desperate to get out of the tackle Ryan slammed his elbow down on the man. The guy relaxed his grip due to the sudden pain, and Ryan slipped out and pushed off him just in time to see Tidus score the first goal of them game. Turning and smiling wickedly at the guy Ryan swam back to where he'd started.

"I don't believe it Jimma! The Goers are actually losing to the Besaid Aurochs! Between Ryan's impressive checking, Tidus' shooting, and Matt's passing they've certainly go passing covered!"

"I can't believe it Bobba! I never expected the substitutes to be better then the normal players!"

The ball shot up again, and Graav grabbed it. Instead of throwing it in Bickson's direction he turned and threw it in the opposite direction. He realized too late how big of a mistake that was as Matt's hand shot forward and intercepted the pass. The three forwards took off towards the other end of the pool. One of the Goers' defensive players ent to check Matt, but he passed the ball to Tidus. Just as it was about to reach it's destination Graav nailed Tidus, took the ball and started swimming the other way.

'Shit, counter attack!' Matt thought as he took off, pushing off the man guarding him to gain momentum.

"There it is folks! The Goers are the best when it comes to counter-attacks! Nobody can catch their forwards, no one!"

"Watch what you say Jimma! Tidus, Matt, and Ryan are gaining on Graav quick! But wait! It's the fourth sub, Andy! He's knocked Graav out of the sphere! The Goers' are taking an amazing amount of punishment from this new Aurochs! What is driving them to play so hard? And only two of them are regular players too!"

"Look at this! It's a three-on-two reverse counter attack!"

'Shut up!' Matt thought as he threw the ball at Tidus. At the last second Graav jumped up and tipped it, sending it high. 'Shit!'

Before it reached the hands of the Goer above Tidus Ryan slammed her out of the way and knocked the ball down to Tidus with a thumbs-up.

Tidus grabbed the ball and grinned. Two Goers were charging at him, and the goalie was barely ten feet away. Tidus kicked the ball into the first Goers' face, and punched it into the face of the second. When it came back he knocked it up, swam after it, did a bunch of spins and kicked it. The goalie dove for the ball but he never had a chance. The ball hit the next just two seconds before the end of the half.

"I don't believe it! At the half the Luca Goers, the number one team, are down by two, and to none other then the Besaid Aurochs, who are, or were, without the least favored team this year! This is history in the making folks! Look at those Aurochs fans folks! They are going completely crazy! Can the Goers come back, or will the Besaid Aurochs at long last take the Crystal Cup back to Besaid?"

"That was amazing Tidus!" Datto yelled as the six entered the locker room. He sat down quickly, pain shooting through his arm. "Think you can teach me how to do that?"

Tidus grinned. "Sure, like I said," He quickly glanced over at Ryan who grinned back, "anyone can learn it! But we've still got a second half to play!"

"And now they're gonna be gunning for Tidus too." Ryan added. "Matt, you and me are gonna have to step up and be a little more active. We've gotta make sure Tidus can get the ball." Matt nodded and grinned evilly. "And Andy, you and Botta have to make sure they don't get the chance to shoot. That's their strong point, putting pressure on the goalie until he slips up. If we can keep them from doing that, I really don't think they can win."

"So now we get to knock them around?" Andy asked hopefully. Ryan nodded. "Yes!"

"Well it's time for us to get back out there. Keep cheering us on! This is for you guys!" Tidus said as the players walked back out and dove into the pool.

"Here's the start of the second half folks. And who would've thought it was possible for the Luca Goers to be losing by two points to the Besaid Aurochs. I'm watching the game right now, and I still can't believe it! What are the Aurochs gonna do in the second half to stop Tidus from shooting the ball. And how are they gonna stop Matt from getting the ball to Tidus?"

"I'm not sure Jimma, but I do know one thing. This game may be half way done, but the war has just begun! Stay put folks, this is gonna be one for the record books no matter who wins!"

The ball shot into the water and Tidus grabbed it, throwing it to Matt just before getting hit. Long before the ball ever reached Matt the Goer facing him tackled him, pinning his arms to his side and allowing Graav to grab the ball. Before anyone could stop him he was right in front of a very surprised Keepa, easily kicking the ball passed the dazed goalie.

'That was fast. Too fast. What is going on here?' Matt wondered as they lined up again. The same thing happened, only this time it was on Ryan's side. 'Now I know something isn't right.'

'We need to calm down.' Tidus thought as he signaled for a time-out. Both teams swam out of the sphere for a two-minute break. "What the hell did they do?"

"Haste." Wakka stated. "They cast haste on themselves just before they went out, that way they were much faster. It's not normal, but it's not illegal either. Even if it was, this is their hometown, ya? There were at least two penalties out there, but they didn't get called."

"This isn't my game." Tidus whispered, smiling sadly.

"What was that? What'd you say brudda?" Wakka questioned.

Tidus sighed and stood up. "I'm taking your place on the bench." He said, drawing a startled gasp from everyone. "This is your final game, and you wanna spend the whole time on the bench? I don't think so Wakka. You aren't getting off that easy!"

Wakka laughed. "You sure about this, ya?"

Tidus nodded. "They're gunning for me anyway. As long as I'm out there, we don't have a chance to score."

"Go Cap'n! You can do it! Show those Goers what a real blitzer can do!" The Aurochs around the room shouted, cheering their captain on.

"Alright, alright, ya? I'll play!" Wakka said with a grin before turning to Tidus. "Thanks brudda." Tidus nodded and then cast something on the six players about to return to the sphere.

"Haste, just to even the odds." He informed with a grin. "Go show them who the Besaid Aurochs really are!" Before Wakka walked out Tidus grabbed him by the shoulder. "Listen, in the last few seconds of the game, get the ball to Ryan, regardless of the score. Just trust me on this, he'll know what to do." Tidus added and Wakka nodded.

"Right brudda." He said before heading into the sphere. "Hey, hey, hey! Wait up guys, I got something to say!" Wakka yelled to the rest of his team. "Look, if the referees aren't calling the Goers penalties then they can't call ours either, ya? If they wanna play rough, we'll show them how to play rough. Easy, ya?"

"So in other words fight fire with fire? Or penalties with penalties in this case?" Ryan asked, a smile tugging at his face. Wakka nodded. "This'll be fun."

"What's this! Wakka's back in the game! But where's Tidus? Did he get hurt in those last two plays? And what are the Aurochs gonna do about the speed of the Goers' attacks?'

As Ryan lined up Bickson smiled at him. In return Ryan flipped him off, and put on that icy smile that unnerved people so quickly. Even after seeing it before Bickson still shook visibly at it.

The ball shot up and Wakka grabbed it. Bickson went to tackle Ryan, but instead found Ryan's fist.

"Would you look at that! Ryan just leveled Bickson! Apparently the Aurochs have decided to fight fire with fire folks!" Jimma said as Matt kneed Graav in the nuts, doubling him over in pain instantly.

"This is turning into an all out war! And none of the referees are calling penalties! What is going on? There goes Wakka! He's flying down the center, forcibly moving any Goer that tries to get in his way! Goal Aurochs! With a little under a minute left to play the Aurochs have once again taken the lead! It's now 3-2 with 51 seconds left in regulation time!"

The ball shot up and Graav grabbed it. The Goers went to charge down the sphere, hoping to use their speed to score before regulation time ran out. Andy and Botta did manage to level two of the Goers out, but when Graav dropped the ball Bickson pushed off of Ryan and got it. Before Keepa could move the ball was in the net.

"What a match up! Just 15 seconds left in the game and the score is all tied up! Who would've thought that the Goers would have so much trouble beating the Aurochs folks? I know I never saw this coming. Don't leave you seats, because this one is bound to be exciting until the last second of the match!"

'Shit. We can't keep this up into overtime!' Ryan thought as he lined up. Wakka looked at him and nodded. 'I'm getting the ball? Tidus, what the hell did you do, tell Wakka?'

The ball was launched and Wakka grabbed it. He started charging down the sphere, but was intercepted by two Goers. 10 seconds left. He looked around desperately and found Ryan near the top of the sphere. He passed it to him and tackled one of the Goers in front of him, as did Matt.

'Please Chappu, let him make it, ya? This is all we ever wanted. To bring the cup back to the village! Please!' Wakka thought as he watched the pass sailed through the water towards Ryan.

Only 8 seconds on the clock and Andy and Botta teamed up on one of the remaining Goers. Ryan grinned as the goalie came out of the net and started to charge him with the others. Ryan let go of the ball and punched it into Bickson's face with his left hand. When it came back he punched it into the goalie's face next. Then he kicked it into the last one's face. 5 seconds left. Ryan threw the ball up out of the sphere. The crowd started the five-second count down as he jumped out after it, spinning.

"What is he doing folks! Look at that spin, it's the same shot Tidus used earlier! 3 seconds left!" The entire stadium fell dead silent as Ryan kicked the ball with all of his might, the smack of his shoe hitting it echoing impossibly loud in the packed stadium. 2 seconds left, 1 second. The ball hit the net at the same time Ryan landed back in the sphere. One buzzer went off, another following so quickly that they seemed to be one…

'Did it go in? Did it make it?' Ryan wondered, panicking.

'We did it. We had to have done it!' Botta thought.

'Please god, please. Let that one have made it.' Andy silently prayed.

'Holy shit. Please let this be over. We can't win if we have to go into overtime.' Matt worried, his mind racing.

'We did it! I know we did! This was for Cap'n Wakka!' Keepa thought.

'Please Chappu. Please, let'em have made it! I know you won't let me down Chappu. This one was for you!' Wakka thought.

"I don't believe it folks! The Goers have lost the finals! The Aurochs are the champions! What a game! What a game!" the announcer yelled into the microphone, but no one could hear it. More then half the stadium roared, drowning out all other noise except the cheering for the stunned team!

The entire Aurochs team swam out, huddling together and congratulating everyone. 'We did it Chappu. We brought the cup back home for ya brudda!' Wakka thought as a single tear of joy ran down his face.

'We did it! We did it!' Matt thought as he and the rest of the Aurochs tackled Ryan.

After a few seconds Ryan managed to free himself, and started swimming towards the Goers' goal.

"What's this folks? Is Ryan going to gloat over the Goers? He certainly has the right to!"

"Hey!" Ryan yelled to the Goers, surprised at how easy it was to talk underwater after having used the blitzing pills. The Goers stopped and turned as Ryan swam up to them. "Good game. Let's do it again sometime!" He said with an earnest smile.

There was a laugh from the middle of the group and they parted to let Bickson through. "Every dynasty falls eventually. And it's always to the little guys, right?" He asked as he took Ryan's outstretched hand. "I must admit, I expected you to be bragging and gloating."

Ryan shrugged. "I'm not that kind of guy." He said. "Besides, it was way too close for me to have anything to gloat about." He said as Bickson shook his hand. "So no hard feelings?"

Bickson laughed again. "No. But watch out, next time you guys are gonna be the ones going down." Ryan grinned.

"I doubt that." He said calmly.

"We'll see." Bickson replied as the rest of the Aurochs swam up behind Ryan.

"Hey, good game, ya?" Wakka said happily.

"Yeah, good game." Bickson replied again as the two teams intermingled, congratulating each other.

"Now that's what the game is about folks! Not gloating, or winning. It's about heart! And both these teams have it! Let's hear it for our new champions, and the team that gave them such a good run for the cup!"

"You know, I think that's the first thing he's said that I actually agree too." Bickson stated.

"Well what do you know? We do have some similarities!" Ryan said with a laugh as the two teams dispersed and headed back to their respectful locker rooms.

"You ok?" Tidus yelled to Wakka who was floating alone in the middle of the pool.

Wakka shook his head. "No brudda. I'm incredible! I can't believe we actually won!"

"Neither can I!" Ryan yelled, swimming back out with his sword, Matt and Andy close behind with their weapons, Andy also holding Tidus' sword. Before anyone could say anything else a bunch of fish darted towards Andy, who spun around and brought Tidus' sword up just in time to block the attack.

"Man, you guys are raining on my victory!" Wakka yelled as he grabbed the blitzball and hurled it at the fish. It hit one, killing it instantly, and then bounced off and hit another. "Get lost, ya?"

"Tidus!" Andy yelled as he threw Tidus the sword Wakka had given him. Spinning around he punched out with the one fist blade he had been able to draw, burring it deep into the side of one of the fish. It burst into pyreflies a second later when Wakka's blitzball nailed it. Screams from outside the sphere alerted them to the presences of fiends outside as well.

"We'll handle these ones! You three go help the people outside!" Tidus yelled as he swam by one of the fish, cutting it clean in two. "Go, now!"

"Right, don't die on us!" Ryan yelled as the three took off towards the Goers' goal where there were only two fiends, which they dealt with quickly. As soon as they were in the Goers' locker room the took off running, Matt quickly taking the lead, followed by Ryan and then Andy. "Don't leave this room!" Ryan yelled to the Goers' over his shoulder as they ran out, slamming the door into one fiend and Matt cleaving another in two in the process.

They ran, trying to get into the stand, despite the massive crowd of people pushing to get out. "This is annoying." Matt muttered as he let Ryan, who had his sword held out straight forward and looked like he really would kill anyone in his way, in front of him. Once the three were in the stands they found that much of the people had managed to get out, and their weren't many fiends there. There were actually only three weak fiends, which ran right into their own deaths.

"That was way too easy." Ryan muttered as he watched Tidus and Wakka manage to make it out of the pool. "Apparently Tidus and Wakka are finished in the pool."

"Hey, look at that one!" Andy yelled, pointing to a massive fiend amidst the people running past the door.

"You had to say it was too easy, didn't you?" Matt wondered aloud as they took off towards the massive fiend. Just as the reached the doorway a black and silver blur came down on the fiend's head, and then there was nothing but pyreflies. "What the hell?"

"Come with me." A man wielding a giant, black sword with a silver edge demanded. He had a red jacket on, and a belt tied around the waist over that. His left arm wasn't in the sleeve, but rather rested in the parting of the jacket, just above the blue belt. Underneath the jacket he wore what looked like black leather armor. He had black hair, with gray streaks along the sides, and he wore sunglasses. The kids also noticed that his right eye had a massive scar running through it, and figured it was probably useless.

"Who the hell are you?" Ryan asked, backing nervously out of the reach of the man's sword despite the fact that it was resting on his shoulder.

"Auron!" Tidus yelled as he and Wakka came running up the steps towards them.

"Sir Auron!" Wakka yelled.

"So you do know him."

"Ya. Best guardian there ever was." Wakka replied. Suddenly a giant bird flew up in front of the group.

"Perhaps we should save the 'who-knows-who' for later, eh?" Andy asked as he jumped out of the way of one of the fiend's attacks.

"Darkness Shot!" Wakka yelled, hitting the thing in the face with his blitzball. When it bounced back it left a cloud of darkness in front of the things face.

"What the hell!" Matt and Andy complained, thunder and fire spells since they couldn't reach the fiend with the limited reach of their weapons. "Come on, come over solid ground damn it!"

"Move." Auron said flatly. Picking his massive sword up with both hands he charged the beast with speed that surprised Ryan, Matt, and Andy. The thing screeched as the blade dug deep into its flesh, but it was still standing. "Tough bastard." Auron muttered in annoyance.

While Auron backed up Tidus and Ryan ran forward, each slicing a different side of the fiend's body. Tidus slashed the left, his sword digging almost as deep as Auron's, but Ryan, lacking Tidus' upper body strength, aimed for the exact same spot that Auron had already cut into. Already seriously wounded from combination of spells and Auron's massive cut made even deeper by Ryan, the combined pain of the final two attacks proved too much for the beast as it exploded into pyreflies.

"Gimme a break!" Tidus cried as another group of fiends came running towards them. Before they were anywhere near close enough to hit, even for Wakka, they erupted into pyreflies. The group looked up to see a mummy with fins coming out it's back, bound in chains, and with only one eye sending powerful magic attacks at all the fiends in the area.

"Wow. That's impressive." Ryan admitted, despite the horrible feeling that the Aeon was giving off. Auron just turned and started walking towards Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri, the others following him

888

After Seymour's Aeon had dispatched of the fiends Wakka had gone off to say good-bye to the Aurochs until his job as a guardian was done. Auron had gone off alone as well, but before he got too far away he called for Tidus, Matt, Andy, and Ryan to follow him.

"I wonder why we're being pulled along too?" Matt muttered, using Tidus' shouting as a cover to hold a private conversation with Ryan and Andy.

"Only one way to find out really. Unless you're a telepath." Ryan added sarcastically.

"Sorry, forgot my crystal ball at home." Matt muttered. "But seriously, why would this guy wanna talk to us?"

"You three. Introduce yourselves." Auron ordered suddenly, snapping them out of their own little world. Apparently Tidus had given up on trying to pry information out of Auron.

"My name's Matt."

"Andy."

"Ryan."

"Where do you come from? You're not from Spira." He said so bluntly that Ryan winced. He'd thought they were doing a decent job of not drawing too much attention to themselves.

"We're from Earth." He said somewhat reluctantly.

"Are you the ones those damn Fayth told me about?"

'So that's what the Fayth meant.' Ryan thought, remembering the Fayth mentioning that someone would come to guide them. "Yeah, they're us."

'Damn.' Auron thought bitterly. 'Here I thought they'd be at least somewhat decent in a fight. The two with magic could be a little useful, but this third one, Ryan was it, seems utterly useless.' As if he knew that Auron was thinking about him Ryan looked up, studying the older man. Auron felt the surprising weight of the gaze fall on him. 'What the hell? What did I agree to do here? Baby sit a bunch of kids, or guide a couple of warriors?' He wondered to himself. Even after the kid had stopped look at him Auron could still feel it lingering on him, gnawing away at the corner of his mind. There was something so familiar, so different about the gaze, but what? 'No time to worry about that now. Whatever it is, it will show itself eventually.' He told himself as Tidus started questioning him again.

"Is he alive?" Tidus asked, and for some reason that drew everyone's attention.

"That depends on what you mean by alive." Auron said quietly. "He is no longer human. But then… I sensed something of Jecht there in that shell, couldn't you? You must have felt him when you came into contact with Sin."

"It can't be…" Tidus muttered.

"It is. Sin is Jecht." Auron confirmed. Ryan, Matt, and Andy each did their own double take from Auron to Tidus and back to Auron.

"Wait, so Yuna's trying to kill your friend," Matt said pointing to Auron, "your dad," He said pointing to Tidus, "and one of her father's guardians? That's just so… fucked up."

"No! That's ridiculous! No way! I don't believe you!" Tidus yelled.

"But it is the truth. You'll see for yourself. And you three." He said, turning on Ryan, Matt, and Andy.

"Yeah?"

"What's up?"

"What now?"

"Don't mention this to Yuna. She'll distance herself from Tidus, we do not want that." Auron said before starting to walk off.

"Where are you going?" Tidus yelled to Auron.

"To offer my services to Yuna. Come." Auron replied before walking off again. The five of them walked in silence, each of them thinking about something different. Wakka's voice snapped them back to reality.

"Whoa!"

"Sir Auron?" Yuna greeted the powerful man quietly, as if afraid of him.

"Yuna." Auron said quietly. "I wish to become your guardian. Do you accept?"

Yuna gasped in surprise. "You serious?" Wakka asked in disbelief.

"You refuse?"

"No, no! We accept, right everyone!" Yuna stated more than asked.

"O-of course. No problem at all." Wakka stammered.

"But… why?" Lulu asked.

"I promised Braska." Auron stated in an indifferent voice. "And… he comes too. This one I promised Jecht. And I promised three very old friends that they could come too. Whether or not as guardians is up to you." Auron said pointing towards Ryan, Matt, and Andy.

"What! Hey, don't we have any say in this?" Matt demanded.

"But that is why you are here, is it not? After watching your blitzball game you could easily make a living with Aurochs. Yet you don't offer them your service. And you risked your lives to save Yuna despite the fact that you had no obligation to." Auron stated, pointing out several reason why they should.

"First off, we try not to force ourselves upon anyone, like forcing ourselves onto the Aurochs for example." Ryan stated holding up one finger. "Second, we did have an obligation to help Yuna. You don't leave a friend in danger. That's not what a friend does."

"So you don't wish to become my guardians then?" Yuna asked.

"It's not that. I just don't like the fact that this jerk here," Matt said, pointing at Auron who smirked while everyone else gasped, "didn't bother to ask us about it. I know I've been having way too much fun to not join up as one of your guardians." Ryan and Andy nodded in agreement.

"Then welcome." Yuna said, doing the prayer gesture, which they returned.

"What's our itinerary? Where are we headed?" Auron asked as Yuna and Tidus ran off alone.

"Djose temple." Lulu replied.

Ryan faintly noted a high-pitched whistle as Auron turned towards them. Before he could do anything Wakka spoke, "We were just worried you guys might've gone crazy!"

"Sorry." Yuna said with a giggle. "Alright then, on to Djose Temple. And guardians, don't forget to smile." She added which Ryan and Andy couldn't help but grin at. "That's the spirit!"

Five minutes later the group was standing in front of the largest stretch of road anyone but Auron had ever seen. "Holy crap, it must go on for miles!" Andy muttered as he blocked the sun out of his eyes with his hand and tried to see the end.

"The Mi'Ihen Highroad." Lulu said as she started walking forward. After several fiend battles, all of which were ended by a few strokes of Auron's massive sword, they came across some ancient ruins and a man that looked like he could've been five when they were still new.

"Do you know what these ruins are from?" He asked when they approached.

"Some old city?" Tidus replied, and Ryan and Matt nearly slapped themselves in the face at the question. Where else did you get the ruins of ancient cities from?

"Yes! A city most ancient. A testament to Sin's power!" The old man said in a surprisingly lively voice. "I tremble every time I see them. Compared to Sin, humans are mere mudpuppies."

"But aren't humans the ones that keep beating Sin?" Matt asked.

"That's right. I believe humans are the only ones capable of defeating Sin." Yuna added.

"I'm relieved to hear you say that m'lady Summoner. Where are my manners?" The old man cried, finally realizing he'd never given his name. "I am Maechen, a scholar. At your service m'lady. I am on a journey, studying the history of our world, Spira, seeking its stories and secrets… My travels have taken me to many places, and I am troubled by what I see. Fragile smiles crumble at the mere mention of Sin. They are counting on you m'lady Summoner. Giver them a reason to rejoice once more."

"I will." Yuna replied in a determined voice. As the group moved on 2 chicks and a guy on armored chocobos rode up.

"Lady Summoner I presume?" The first chick asked.

"Yes. I am Yuna."

"I am Lucil, Captain of the Djose Chocobo Knights." The first girl answered.

"And I am Elma. We've been charged to guard the Highroad." The second chick stated proudly.

"There have been reports of a large fiend in the area, with a taste for chocobos. Do take care, Summoner Yuna, if you are to rent any chocobos."

"We will." Yuna replied before praying. Soon after starting up again they met a little girl whom Yuna held a conversation with. And after that they came across Luzzu and Gatta who were part of something called Operation Mi'Ihen. They also commented on how close the game was. A little farther along the road they encountered a very annoying disciple of Yevon named Shelinda who took forever to leave.

"We rest here." Auron ordered when they reached a shop called "Rin's Travel Agency"

"But this is an Al Bhed shop, ya?" Wakka complained.

"Deal with it." Ryan said, already half way to the door.

"Sir Auron is just concerned about your health." Yuna said.

"I'm not tired one bit." Wakka stated defiantly.

"Well I am." Auron said as he walked into the travel agency.

* * *

well there you have it folks. Chapter 6. i hope you enjoy. don't forget to review! hope i get new reviewers, because that always makes my day. Next chapter should be interesting. an impossiblely screwed up event, and a few people know more then they're letting on. find out next time! 


	7. The Long Road to Djose Temple

Finally! Chapter 7! This chapter was a LOT of fun to write. i don't think i did too good a job proofreading tho, but i thought i'd post it and then repost if it was too bad. anyway, on to the fan reply section!

lightningwizard- I'm glad you liked the blitzball match! i actually flipped a coin to decided whether the Aurochs would win or lose. and as for the chidori/lightning edge move, i've had that planned since the very start of the story. i'm glad you liked it.

Sephirothxx- Yes, those snow days were spent writing. I'm glad you like my description of Auron, and i'm sorryif i made him slightly out of character. i tried to fix that in this chapter,and i know i put the wrong team. i'm gonna fix that later too!

Da KeR MysTeRr- i'm glad you liked the last chapter. This one will be even better! at least i think it is. and thanx for the encouragment. i'll try to post the next chapter as quick as possible without making it crappy!

and now on to the story...

* * *

Chapter 7:The Long Road to Djose Temple 

"This has got to be the longest fucking road ever." Andy muttered as the three found their room at the inn. Due to lack of space, everyone was being forced to share rooms. Yuna, and Lulu were sharing one, obviously, and Kimahri, Tidus and Wakka were in another. Ryan, who had now officially titled their group's diplomat and spokesperson, Matt, and Andy were taking up a third. None of them knew where Auron was going to sleep, but at this point they didn't care.

"Only because you get a ride to school…" Ryan muttered. He was used to walking, at least more used to it then Andy or Matt. "But the constant fiend battles aren't helping either, are they?"

"Not in the least." Matt answered for Andy. "I'm going to bed. Screw you all." Ryan laughed as the two grabbed pillows, Matt instantly going for the lazy-boy chair in the corner of the room.

There was a knock on the door about ten minutes later, and it snapped Ryan out of his nearly asleep state. "I got it." Ryan muttered to himself. Andy was already snoring, and you could never tell with Matt since he didn't move around or snore… most of the time. "Geez…"

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" a tan man with green swirled eyes and bright blonde hair asked when Ryan opened the door.

"No, my friends are just a little tired. What can I do for you?"

"My name is Rin. I'm the owner of this establishment." Rin answered with a smile.

"Oh, well nice to meet you. Say, aren't you an Al Bhed?" Ryan asked, remembering Wakka's earlier complaint.

Rin's face paled for a second, but he smiled and nodded. "I am indeed and Al Bhed. I hope that does not dampen your mood." Ryan looked at him in confusion. "You are not an Al Bhed hater?"

"Should I be?" Ryan asked bluntly. Rin gawked for a second. "What? You're the first Al Bhed that I've met. So you use machines, big deal." Ryan shrugged. "Besides, I try not to judge the many by the actions of the few."

Rin smiled. "Well, then perhaps you would be interested in learning our language?" He asked.

"You have your own language?" Ryan replied in surprise. Rin nodded. "Why not. It's always good to know how to talk to people."

"Please, take this." Rin said, handing Ryan a small book. "It's the first book on how to read, write, and speak Al Bhed. There are other scattered throughout Spira, one for each letter of the Spirian Alphabet. It might be fun for you to try and learn out language."

"Maybe." Ryan muttered to himself. He glanced back to see Rinstill standing there. "I take it that's not why came here, is it?"

Rin shook his head. "Sir Auron requested that you go to the back of the building after the sun sets."

"Wha?" Ryan asked in confusion.

"The only other thing he said was that you were going to need this." Rin said, producing a bamboo sword from the wall next to the door.

"Okay. Anything else?" Rin shook his head. "Well thanks then. I'll make sure to be there." Rin nodded and left. "Why the hell would he give me this?"

"Why else do people use bamboo swords?" Matt asked quietly.

"Still awake, eh?" Ryan asked with a small grin.

"You didn't answer the question." Matt said flatly, still not moving.

Ryan sighed. "Well, my guess, would be that he wants to beat the hell outta me without killing me. Or, as someone else might say, teach me the way of the sword." Matt nodded slightly before someone else knocked on the door. 'Well aren't we just popular this afternoon.' Ryan thought as he opened it to find himself face to face with Yuna. "Yes, the three musketeers office, Ryan speaking. How may I help you?" Ryan asked in the fakest girl voice any of them had ever seen, causing all three of them to burst into laughter. "No, seriously, what's up Yuna?"

"Well, after seeing how often you get hurt," Yuna started, smiling slightly when Ryan laughed nervously, "I figured it might be good to teach you how to use a basic healing spell."

"Seriously?" Ryan asked, more then a little surprised.

Yuna nodded. "Well, that and Lulu said that you'd once said you'd rather learn white magic than black, and she already taught Matt and Andy a spell. I figured that it couldn't hurt, right? Besides, I may not always be able to get to everyone in time. If that happens you'll be able to help them, at least until I get there."

Ryan nodded. "Very true. Who knows, with this development, I might just live to see this thing through to the end after all." He added in a sarcastic voice that caused them all to laugh again. "Hold down the fort Matt." Matt grunted in reply.

An hour later the sun was setting, and Ryan was just starting to get the hang of the Cure spell. "You picked that up pretty quickly. I have to admit… I'm a little jealous." Yuna admitted. "The sun, it's setting."

"It's been a long time since I've seen a sunset like this." Ryan said, watching the sunset in awe.

"Well keep practicing. You'll get better the more you use it!" Yuna said as she stood up and started walking off.

"Thanks Yuna!" Ryan yelled at the retreating Summoner who turned back and waved before continuing. "Well now… I wonder what Auron wants. Well, better early then later, right?" He muttered to himself as he walked behind the travel agency.

"Hey, you got called here too?" Tidus asked when he saw Ryan.

"Yep." Ryan said. "Bamboo sword too? That doesn't seem good."

Tidus laughed. "Let's have a match!" He said with a grin. "Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya."

"Cocky for a blitzball player, don't you think?" Ryan asked as he picked up his bamboo sword and dropped into a Battou Jutsu stance. Tidus hesitated for a second. "What's wrong? Scared?"

"You wish!" Tidus replied as he charged in. At the last second Ryan's sword flashed out. Tidus brought his sword up as fast as he could, catching the deadly attack, but not blocking it. The sheer speed of the attack carried both blades into the side of his head and knocking him to the ground. "Damn it!" Tidus yelled as he jumped back to his feet and shouldered Ryan, knocking him to the ground.

"Are you two finished playing around?" Auron asked the two, appearing out of seemingly nowhere.

"Auron! When did you get here?" Tidus asked while Ryan got back to his feet.

"So what do you want with us? And what's with the swords?" Ryan asked.

'Straight to the point. Good.' Auron thought, as he looked the two over. "Yuna will need strong guardians. Right now you two are the weakest. Fighting each other with training swords while we're not fighting fiends might give you some hope of getting better." He said bluntly.

'Well that's wonderful news.' Ryan thought as Auron tuned to Tidus.

"Your problem is that you're too hot headed. You can't focus enough. That's likely to get you killed one of these days." He said bluntly before turning to Ryan. "You, on the other hand, have very little talent with a sword," Auron said bluntly, "but you have a sharp mind. Learn to use your talents better. Then learn how to use your weakness in battle."

"If you have heaven seek earth. If you have earth seek heaven. And if you have both heaven and earth you can do anything, and defeat any opponent." Ryan muttered the ancient saying. "Guess you can't argue that logic."

"What? Did I miss a meeting or something? What's all this about heaven and earth?" Tidus asked, confused by the saying.

"Think of heaven as intelligence, and earth as power. If you have intelligence, increase your power, because you're probably lacking in it. If you have power seek intelligence, since you probably rely solely on brute force. If you have both intelligence and power, heaven and earth, there's no one you can't beat." Ryan explained.

"Where did you come up with that?" Tidus wondered aloud.

"Worry about that later. Right now you need to practice." Auron ordered.

"Right." Tidus and Ryan said in unison. Tidus opened with an overhead slash, which Ryan dodged by swinging his right foot behind his left, turning a half circle. Tidus grinned, changed his grip when his swing was about knee height and brought it back up on a rising diagonal cut. Ryan hopped back and slammed down on Tidus' sword with a double-handed strike that pinned Tidus' weapon to the ground. Spinning towards Tidus he broke the lock, and finished by slamming his sword into Tidus' neck.

Or he would have if Tidus hadn't rolled forward, avoiding the deceptively powerful attack. 'Fast, as always.' Ryan thought as Tidus charged him again. Thrust, shoulder check, spinning slash at the head. Side step, bracing against the ground, recovery, duck, slash to the hand. Tidus yelped when the bamboo hit his hand, and dropped his sword in surprise.

'Interesting strategy.' Auron thought as Tidus rubbed his hand gingerly. "Again." He said simply. With a sigh the two went back to where they'd started the match, a surprisingly far distance from where it had ended. "Start."

Tidus charged in, slashing horizontally at Ryan's chest. Ryan stepped back and swung up at an awkward angle that allowed Tidus to dodge easily. Before Ryan could recover Tidus jumped backwards and charged. Halfway through his charge he jumped and did a flip, slamming his sword down onto Ryan's back.

'Geez!' Ryan thought as he struggled to see through his suddenly foggy vision.

"What do you think of my spiral cut?" Tidus asked as Ryan stood up, rubbing his back gently. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

'Speed and agility. That's what he's good at.' Ryan thought, blocking out Auron who was talking to him. 'Not to mention he's in better physical shape then me, and he's better with a sword.' Ryan laughed inwardly. 'I have to keep the fight in close. That or make his skill with a sword useless.'

"Ready?" Tidus asked as he dropped into his fighting stance.

Ryan grinned, suddenly getting an idea. 'This had better work.' He thought as he dropped into a Battou Jutsu stance and nodded. Tidus stopped and looked at Ryan nervously. 'One shot, that's all I'll get. If I miss, he'll win without a doubt.'

Tidus charged in, his blade held out and down to the left. 'If I can stop his attack with one that's stronger I'll get a clean shot at his back. This should be fun.' He thought as Ryan's sword shot towards him, slightly faster then it had before, but this time Tidus brought his sword around with all his strength, easily knocking the attack wide.

For a split second the two boys gazes locked. Tidus' heart nearly stopped when he saw Ryan grinning. Ryan spun, twisting his body as much as he could to add as much power as possible to his real attack. 'One shot to win. Just one!' he thought. His heart nearly stopped when Tidus ducked under the swing, planted his hands on the ground and kicked out with both legs. Ryan's mind froze, but his body spun on it's own, avoiding most of the attack. 'I can still win!' he thought mid-spin, letting go of the sword's hilt with his right hand and moving his left hand nearly to the bottom. Tidus spun as he landed, slashing at Ryan when he came into view. He felt a sharp pain in his chest at the same moment his sword connected with Ryan's side. Both of them were sent to the ground, panting for air.

'Interesting. He used the faster, more deadly of the two attacks as a distraction, and followed up with a weaker attack. When that missed he improvised and came up with a third strike, one fast enough to hit Tidus.' Auront thought, mildly surprised by how quickly Ryan had adjusted to the situation. 'He has some natural talent. Perhaps more then I gave him credit for at first.' He though as he smiled slightly. "Ready?" Auron asked the two, producing a bamboo sword from under his jacket and resting it on his shoulder.

"What do you mean 'Ready'? We just went four rounds! We're exhausted." Tidus complained, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Then land one hit. After that you can go to bed." Auron said.

"Auron!" Tidus yelled.

"Give it up Tidus. He's not gonna let the two of you go." Matt said, opening a window no one had noticed in the growing darkness. "Hurry up Ryan, all this noise is making it hard to sleep."

"Geez… what a hassle." Ryan muttered as he stood up. He silently went over what he'd seen of Auron's fighting style. 'He's not the fastest, but he dodges well, and he's got more power in one arm then me and Tidus probably have combined. Not to mention he's a legendary guardian, which means he's also got more experience in battle then the rest of the guardians have combined. Plus he's as cold as stone, and as hard to read as a rock. He's perceptive too, which means any strategy will probably fail. Could things be stacked against us anymore?'

"Stop day dreaming and come on." Auron ordered in an emotionless voice. "The sun has already set. Wait any longer and it will be too dark to see."

'Too dark to see… darkness! That's what we can use!' Ryan thought. 'That just might work.' He thought as he took his sweatshirt off and put it back on, inside out. Auron grunted.

'Trying to become a shadow, eh? Interesting approach.' Auron thought as Andy walked over to the window, at Matt's request, to watch the last match of the night. "Go."

"Take this!" Tidus yelled, charging in with a slash at the stomach, which Auron dodged by stepping back. With one swing he disarmed Tidus and knocked him to the ground. "Ryan, some help here!" Tidus yelled, trying to crawl out of the way of the attack that was coming. He shut his eyes. 'This is gonna hurt tomorrow!'

There was the smack of wood hitting wood and two surprised gasps from off to the side. Tidus opened his eyes and saw Ryan's sword, it's point nearly pressed against the ground under the brute force behind Auron's powerful swing. Auron grunted in surprise.

"Ready to get beaten down?" He asked in a bored tone, slightly lessening the pressure without realizing it.

"Haaaaaaaaaa!" Ryan yelled, pushing up with all his strength and barely managing to send Auron's sword up over his head. The old guardian's one good eye met with Ryan's.

'What in the name of Sin?' He thought, noting the slight color change. 'Is my eye playing tricks on me? And why is he trying a straight up fight? That's not his style.'

"Here!" Ryan yelled as he swung his sword at Auron's head, which the battle hardened veteran ducked under before swing at Ryan's exposed shoulder. Auron grunted when Tidus body checked him in the side before his attack could land, buying Ryan just enough time to twist out of the way.

"Ryan, now!" He yelled as he grabbed Auron's sword right above the finger guard.

'What kind of…' Auron's train of thought was cut off when Ryan jumped at the wall of the travel agency, absorbing his impact by bending at the knees.

"Tidus, move!" Ryan and Matt yelled in unison as Ryan went into a Battou Jutsu stance while still on the wall. He pushed off, swing his wooden sword as fast as his fatigued arms would let him as soon as Tidus' had ducked. Auron grunted as the blow hit him right below the armpit with surprising force.

"That's enough for tonight." Auron said before walking off towards the front of the travel agency, ignoring the dull throbbing where Ryan's attack had landed.

"What the hell was that?" Tidus asked after Ryan had hit the ground.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Kan Sen Tsumuji. Basically you push off of something and hit the target in the mid section with all of the force of the drawing of the sword, your speed, and your weight in one attack." Ryan panted. "When you combin all of those together you get a strike powerful enough to bisect at least one person, if you're using a rea sword. Of course, after fighting you four times, it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do."

"Well let's get to bed. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." Tidus said with a laugh as he helped Ryan to his feet. "See ya tomorrow!"

"Hurry up and get in here, you're letting the breeze in!" Matt said, signaling for Ryan to climb through the window. He was pretty sure that he didn't break his habit of being asleep before he hit the pillow that night.

The next morning Ryan was woken up via a bamboo sword to the back. "What the hell!" He asked, jumping off the bed and spinning to see Tidus standing there, grinning. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist. Everyone's waiting for you three, get a move on!" He said as he walked out of the room. Grabbing their weapons Ryan, Andy, and Matt walked out of the room just in time to hear some scream something about the chocobos.

"Never a dull moment with this group, is there?" Matt muttered sarcastically.

"That's our cue. Let's go." Auron said as he went out the door.

"Thank you for your help." Rin said to Ryan as he went to walk out. "Please, use these. If all of you arehurt just throw one of them in the air and it will use curative magic on you all."

"Thanks!" Ryan said as he turned and handed one to Tidus and ran out to give Yuna the other one.

"Why'd he give me one?" Tidus asked.

"Have you seen Ryan fight? The kid's getting knocked around like a rag-doll half the time, they'd just break if he held onto them." Matt said with a chuckle as they headed out.

"To the chocobo corral!" Lulu informed them before turning and heading for it herself. When the group arrived at the Chocobo corral they didn't see anything. Suddenly there was a roar, and a massive scale covered brute that had long arms that ended in three clawed finger and was more mouth then anything else jumped down from on top of the travel agency, scattering the chocobo.

"And we're supposed to fight that thing how?" Ryan asked as he starred at the massive thing.

Auron grunted before drawing his sword and charging the thing. "Figure out a way to kill it Ryan." Matt said before drawing his axe and joining Auron in his charge.

"Why do they always rely on you to come up with a way to beat things?" Lulu asked. "Matt seems almost as observant as you, if not more so."

Ryan sighed and shrugged. "They're just incredibly brain dead in the morning, and I'm not?" He asked as much as stated.

"That doesn't explain why they always turn to you for the plan." Lulu stated flatly.

"Yeah well. Your guess is probably about as good as mine on that one." Ryan said as Wakka's blitzball flew into the things face, bouncing off without doing any damage. When the thing turned it's attention on the group Auron, Matt and Kimahri charged in and attacked, dealing the thing a great deal of pain. 'What the hell? Why don't Andy and Wakka do any damage, but Matt, Auron, and Kimahri do?'

"Thunder!" Lulu yelled, drilling a spell into the thing's head, but doing nearly no damage. Lulu growled, "Fire!" She yelled. This time the thing roared in pain when the fire burned its face. Lulu smirked, "Fire Fury!" She yelled as she cast eight fire spells on the thing in quick succession.

'Fire works well. That means Andy should be able to do some damage. But that still leaves the question of why only Matt, Kimahri, and Auron can do any physical damage.' Ryan thought as Tidus' sword bounced off the thing's armored hide. "The scales!" Ryan whispered to himself.

"What about them? They're scales, big deal." Lulu replied while casting another fire spell.

"That's why only Auron, Kimahri, and Matt are doing any damage. Auron and Matt have heavy weapons, and when you combined the weight of the weapons with the speed they're being used at, and the strength of the wielders, they can break the scales. Kimahri can break the scales because he's got a weapon designed to pierce armor." Ryan stated and Lulu looked at him in disbelief.

"I think I understand why they turned to Ryan now Lulu." Yuna said with a giggle.

"Hey, this is no time to be laughing, ya? So what do we do about the scales, brudda?" Wakka asked as his blitzball bounced off the thing, again doing no damage.

"Well that would be the question, wouldn't it?" Ryan muttered to himself as the thing sent Kimahri and Matt flying, leaving Auron alone to face its wrath. "Shit!" Ryan muttered as he took off, drawing his sword as he ran to help Auron, barely noticing Andy temporarily abandoning his spell casting.

"He just loves to run head-first into trouble, doesn't he?" Lulu asked as she helped Matt to his feet.

"Yeah well. Nobody said we were very intelligent, right?" Matt replied as he started to walk towards the thing. "Besides, what kind of person would leave their friends to fight a thing like that alone?"

"Good point." Lulu replied as she cast another fire spell on the monster, hitting it in the arm and stalling its attack long enough for Ryan to dodge it.

"Any time you feel like lending a hand!" Tidus yelled as the thing swiped one of its massive, armored claws at him, barely missing.

"Power Break!" Auron yelled as his sword started to glow a red-orange color. With a grunt he hammered the massive monster with his sword, drawing a shriek of pain from it. As it cried out it fell onto its back, revealing a very vulnerable stomach.

"Now! Everyone hit the stomach!" Ryan yelled. In reply two fire spells and a thunder spell slammed into the stomach, followed by an orange beam that went straight through.

"I guess that is the end of that fight, isn't it?" Andy wondered aloud as he watched pyreflies start to leak out of the hole Valefor's overdrive had left in the massive fiend's chest. "So, what's next?"

"Andy, move!" Auron yelled, but it was too late. A massive, scale-covered claw slammed into Andy, nearly sending him over the cliff, and he only stopped because Auron grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back up. "Move next time." He growled before dropping Andy to the ground.

"Fucking fiend!" Andy yelled, his right fist starting to glow bright red. "Go to hell!"

'What the hell Andy?' Ryan wondered as he watched his friend launch an impossibly thin blade of fire at the chocobo eater, splitting the creature in half. "What in the name of? Andy, why the hell didn't you do that earlier?"

"Didn't… know I could… do that." He gasped as he dropped to the ground. "Man, I'm beat. Anyone up for another stay at the inn?" Andy asked, drawing a glare from Auron. "Or not."

"Have you an interest in renting some chobobos? As a token of gratitude, the first time is free of charge." Rin said with a smile as he approached the battered group, all of who were sucking in large gulps of air. "Please ask the attendant if you wish to rent."

"Ko." Andy said with a salute.

"We walk." Auron decided.

"Any reason in particular?" Tidus questioned.

"You need more experience." Auron replied simply. So they walked, eventually coming on some girl from Yevon who held a conversation with Yuna. After that they continued on down the road.

"Does this thing ever end?" Ryan wondered aloud after another of the countless fiend battles that they'd fought on the road.

"Hang in there. This is the last stretch." Lulu said. "See? Right up there is the entrance to Mushroom Rock Road."

"Well that's good to know." Ryan said with a hint of relief in his voice. "Oh god." He corrected almost instantly, his voice becoming gloomy, as they got a little closer to the gates.

"What?" Matt asked, not quite sure why Ryan sounded so down suddenly.

"I see Dona." He replied, and everyone but Auron and Kimahri groaned.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I'm a Summoner!" Dona yelled at a guard.

"Sorry, ma'am! No exceptions!" The guard replied in what Yuna's group could've sworn was almost a pleading voice.

"Well, you haven't gotten any less annoying." Ryan said bluntly as they approached the scene. Dona spun around and glared at him angrily, Barthello following suit.

"As you can see, not even a Summoner can pass." She said as she turned to face Yuna. "But they'll call on us in the end. Just wait and see. In the mean time I think I'll have a nap. Oh, Barthello?" Dona called as she started to walk off, Barthello following behind closely.

"Looks like we've got some time to kill." Andy said as he sat down on the ground. "Hey, I've got an idea! What about the Chocobo rides Rin said we could have?He said the first time was free, right?"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea, brudda." Wakka agreed.

"Sir Auron?" Yuna asked, not wanting to go against the guardian's wise judgment.

For a minute Auron didn't answer. "Fine, but we move quickly." He agreed at last, drawing a cheer from the group.

"We'd like to rent some Chocobo please." Yuna asked the attendent at the entrance to Mushroom Rock Road.

"First time is free for Chocobo Eater slayers." The attendant replied in broken Spirian, opening the Chocobo pen for them. After a quick demonstration on how to ride the giant birds the group set off down an old, twisting path that Auron called the Old Highroad. Along the way they met a few crusaders, but the most eventful thing was when they encountered a Summoner named Belgemine, who challenged Yuna to an Aeon battle.

"I accept." Yuna said with a nod. Suddenly Belgemine did something that made a startled Yuna glow.

"There, I've healed your Aeons. Now, let us begin." Belgemine said as she summoned Ifrit.

"Valefor, will you help me?" Yuna asked as the giant bird landed next to her, and everyone felt the gentle calmness coming from it that felt oddly familiar to Ryan.

"Attack!" Belgemine yelled, and Ifrit obeyed, jumping at Valefor in an attempt to slash the agile Aeon with its claws. Valefor dodged, and countered by digging its talons into Ifrit's shoulder.

"Energy Ray!" Yuna called out, and Valefor was quick to answer. The beam cut into Ifrit, drawing a screech from the Aeon that sent chills down the spine of everyone present.

Belgimine smiled. "Fira!" She yelled. Everyone nearly fainted when the spell hit Ifrit rather then Valefor, healing some of the damage Valefor's overdrive had caused.

"Blizzard! Yuna yelled and Valefor cast a blizzard spell on the fire Aeon, damaging it severely. "Again!" She yelled, and the process was repeated until the mighty Ifrit finally fell.

"Congradulations Yuna." Belgemine said with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had lost. "You are strong. Perhaps one day you will defeat Sin."

"Thank you," Yuna replied with a bow, "but I believe you're closer than I am to beating Sin."

Belgemine's smile fell for a split second. "I fear I can't, or could not."

"What do you mean?" Yuna asked, but Belgmine shook her head, said good-bye, and walked off. "That's odd. I wonder what she meant by 'could not'?"

"Don't dwell on it. If we needed to know then she'd have told us." Andy replied as he mounted his Chocobo and started around the bend towards the dead end.

"That is the end. Let's go back." Auron said as he started to turn his Chocobo around, only to see Ryan and Matt ride past him towards the end of the road. "I said let's go." Auron repeated.

"Go on ahead, we'll catch up!" Matt replied as he dismounted from his Chocobo and started to look around. There was always something in the dead ends in RPG's, maybe that held true here. A few minutes later Andy called them over.

"What'd ya find?" Ryan asked his friend who held up two small tokens. One was red, and shaped like the planet Mars, and the other was multi-colored, and resembled a small Earth. "What the hell?"

"Don't know. They were just sitting here." Andy replied as he pocketed the two items. "Guess we'd better head back. Auron's probably fuming by now." Andy said as the three rode back to the entrance to Mushroom Rock Road, laughing.

As they approached the entrance they saw Yuna and the rest of the group talking with Luzzu and Gatta. "Hey!" Ryan yelled, waving to the two crusaders who waved back. By the time the three had put their Chocobo away the two had left. Ryan's eyes narrowed, and he spit in annoyance, growling slightly.

"Yo, you okay? Got rabies or something?" Andy asked as he took a step back in mock fear.

"Seymour." Matt hissed as the Maester of Yevon started talking to Yuna. "God do I hate that guy."

"Something about him isn't right. He's hiding something." Ryan muttered as he turned away from the half-Guado, half-Human, his hand dropping to the hilt of his sword, an action that didn't escape the attention of Andy or Matt.

"Chill out. Better not to make such powerful enemies." Matt whispered. "It'll just make Yuna's pilgrimage that much harder."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." Ryan muttered, but his hand stayed on the hilt of his sword.

"Hey you three! Come on! We're going through!" Tidus yelled, waving for the three to join them.

"Well, looks like even Seymour has his uses." Andy said as they walked over to the group, which continued down the long, confusing road, encountering various, more powerful fiends as they went. Along the way they encountered Shelinda again, who was now helping the Crusaders with her white magic. After she healed some of the more serious wounds of the group they thanked her and continued on, talking to various Crusaders who gave them various items.

"Excuse me, Lady Yuna!" A man in armor yelled. "Maester Seymour requests your presence at the command center. Follow this road," The man said pointing to the road of the group's left, "and it'll take you there. We're still in the midst of preparations this way. Sorry." He said before turning and running back to his post.

"Thank you." Yuna replied before leading the group in the direction that Clasko had pointed. After about a dozen more battles, several of which Aeons were needed in, the group arrived at the lift to the command center. Even outside they could hear the Crusaders cheering for Maester Seymour.

'Damn, the people really like that bastard.' Ryan thought, his eye twitching slightly in annoyance. "Whoa, look at all those cannons." Ryan said in surprise when they arrived at the main area of the Crusaders efforts. "There must be fifty of them!"

"Damn sacrilegious contraptions!" Wakka yelled as he kicked one, seriously hurting his toes. Everyone but Andy, Ryan, and Matt walked off to talk to Seymour.

"Do you think this will work?" Ryan asked in the awkward silence that followed after the rest of the group had left.

"I don't know. We've seen Sin once, and it destroyed an entire town. Not to mention it's said to be unstoppable." Matt replied somberly. "Who knows whether a bunch of cannons will be able to stop it, I know I don't think they will."

"Yeah. Seymour probably knows that too." Andy stated.

"Which means he's leading them right into their own deaths." Ryan put the two thoughts together, voicing the thought that was drifting through all three of their minds. "So what do we do? If we tell them that, they'll call us heretics. If we don't tell them, they'll all probably die."

"So you figured it out too." Auron said, walking up behind the three. "Seymour is not the only Maester of Yevon here. Maester Kinoc is also leading them to their deaths."

"What kind of people could do this?" Ryan muttered under his breath. "They're monsters, how can they be allowed to lead the people of Spira?"

An alarm suddenly sounded. "That's our cue. Let's go." Auron said as he drew his massive sword and headed back towards the main part of the command center with Ryan, Matt, and Andy following suit.

"What is that!" Ryan cried out when he saw a massive fiend. It had a small body with 2 legs, a long neck which had 2 arm like things coming off of it, and claw, spike like things going up it's back. Its head was red and looked like it was way too small for the thing.

"Sinspawn." Wakka informed.

"God, these things just get uglier as we go, don't they?" Matt asked before he charged in. He swung at the thing's body, but one of the arms shot in at the last second, blocking the attack and barely taking any damage in the process. 'Armored?' Matt wondered in surprise when he saw the small damage his attack had done.

"Matt move!" Tidus yelled as the other arm swung around, the point at the end headed straight at him.

"Fire! Fira! Thunder! Cure!" The three black magic spells hit the arm at once, destroying it instantly upon contact. The whit magic washed over Matt just after he was slammed onto his face by the arm that had blocked his attack. Matt's vision swam, and when he rolled over he groaned. Two Aurons were standing above him, side-by-side with two Ryans. "As if one of each wasn't bad enough." He muttered as he tried to focus his vision. Suddenly the Aurons disappeared from his sight, and 2 of the massive heads slammed into the two Ryans.

The next few moments passed in slow motion for the two teens. Ryan's left arm was flailing around, desperate for something to hold onto to stop his flight. He held his right hand out as from his body as far as possible so when he landed he wouldn't be cut in two by his own sword. His left hand did find something, namely the back of Matt's shirt. Instinctively it clutched. Ryan's momentum didn't stop though. Instead it carried the two boys over the side of the cliff.

'We're dead.' Matt thought as he hit the side of the cliff hard, his vision blurring even more as pain shot through his back. Again and again the hit the cliff, vaguely aware of the warmth spreading across his back as they fell.

888

"Ryan! Matt!" Andy yelled when his friends went flying over the cliff. "Damn thing! Blade of Hell!" He yelled, his right fist glowing red again before he punched out, the thin blade of fire cutting the arm off completely.

"Now! Kimahri, Tidus, let's go!" Auron yelled as he charged in at the fiend, cutting into its soft flesh while Lulu and Wakka made sure that the head was unable to defend it. Yuna summoned Ifrit and the three cleared out when it stepped in to fight the massive Sinspawn. One Hellfire attack had the thing nearly dead, and a Fire spell finished the fight.

"We have to help Ryan and Matt!" Yuna said, running to the edge of the cliff and looking around desperately for a safe way down.

"I think that's going to have to wait!" Tidus yelled, pointing at the massive fiend that was rising out of the ocean.

"Sin!" Yuna gasped. Suddenly the Chocobo knights charged towards the beach, and the Al Bhed cannons opened fire on the massive creature.

"Ryan and Matt are down there!" Andy whispered. "With all that skin that the cannons are knocking off, there's going to be thousands of Sinscales!"

"They're dead. Forget about them." Auron said, turning his back on the cliff and sin.

"Fuck you Auron!" Andy yelled causing everyone present to gasp in surprise. Auron smirked slightly, not bothering to turn back towards the scene.

'Too easy.' He thought as he heard Andy hit the side of the cliff.

888

"Sin is here!" The Fayth said from behind Matt and Ryan.

"Sin's here? Now?" Ryan asked with a groan. "Come on, we just got knocked off a god damn cliff! What the hell can we do to something like that?"

"Nothing." The Fayth replied. "You do not yet have the power to stop it. But it doesn't matter. You are dead, both of you."

"Fuck you! I didn't come this far to quit! Things were just starting to get good, put us back!" Ryan demanded loudly. The Fayth smiled thankfully.

"You truly desire to go back? You will only die again." They said with a hint of sadness in their voices.

"So then you can bring us back again! We're Yuna's guardians, we can't die, not here, not until she defeats Sin. We have to protect her!" Matt said crossly.

"That's right! Then we'll celebrate, all of us! We'll go out and party for hours after she kills it! And we'll make sure that it stays dead!" Ryan added.

"Will you? Would you protect her with your life, even if we couldn't bring you back to life?" The Fayth asked, genuinely interested.

"That's what friends do." Matt and Ryan replied in unison.

"Words are words. They are easy to speak, but not easy to follow. Perhaps you will protect her." The Fayth said quietly. "But there is also the chance that you'll abandon her, right when she needs you the most. What proof can you give us that you won't?"

"Hey, you are the ones who brought us here, you're the ones who brought us back to life, and you're the only ones that can send us home. I don't know about you, but we don't seem to have much of a choice. Besides, how long would we last alone in Spira?" Ryan asked. "If we leave her, then kill us. How does that sound as proof?"

The Fayth thought the deal over for a few moments before responding. "Alright then. Be warned however, we will not bring you back if you leave her. Or if we think you're even considering leaving her. Understood?" The two boys nodded, smiling slightly. The familiar bright light filled the purple mist filled void as the two were sent back to Spira.

888

"Ryan, Matt, get up!" Andy yelled as he slid down to where the two had landed. "Ryan, Matt! Get up, we've gotta get out of here!"

"Shut up Andy! I've got a headache bigger then… Sin!" Matt yelled, spotting the massive fiend. "Sinscales!"

"Wonderful." Ryan muttered. Suddenly hundreds of Chocobo were charging down the beach, followed by just as many, if not more, foot soldiers following as quickly as they could.

"Guess we're not quite as outnumbered as we thought." Andy said, a hint of relief in his voice.

"Don't be too sure." Matt said, still watching Sin as the cannons peppered its skin, but did no real damage. "As long as they keep firing on Sin, the Sinscale will keep coming."

"Yeah." Ryan agreed. "Perhaps we should make a tactical retreat?"

"How exactly are we supposed to do that? There's nowhere to go, the fighting is everywhere, and if we try to climb up we'll probably just fall back down." Matt said as he stood up and retrieved his axe from the sand.

"Way to be an optimist Matt." Ryan muttered as he picked up his sword and waited for the flood of Sinscale to come after them. It was a very short wait. Within two minutes the Sinscales were swarming around the three boys who were standing with their backs together. "Hey guys, I don't know about you, but if I'm going out, I'm taking at least a hundred or so of these things with me."

"Only a hundred?" Matt asked sarcastically, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, nervously awaiting the beginning of a battle they all knew they could not win.

"It's been an honor guys. I'm glad we got to meet." Andy said sadly as the ring of Sinscale began to close in.

"Hey, none of that 'this is the end' talk, got it? I'm going back home, and you guys are too, even if I have to drag your half dead asses there myself." Ryan stated flatly.

"Me too. I've never given up on anything before, and I'm not going to now." Matt said with a grin.

"Sure you have Matt. You gave up baseball, didn't you?" Ryan asked. "And I'm sure there are other things too."

"It was meant as a figure of speech!" Matt said with a laugh.

"You're right guys. What do you say we take the fight to them?" Andy asked. "After all, if we can get to the rest of the Crusaders, we might just be able to survive this thing."

"And here I was thinking Ryan was the one that thought quickest on his feet." Matt said with a chuckle. "But that's a hell of a long run Andy. And a lot of Sinscale arein the way too."

"Maybe I can help with that." Ryan said as he turned till he was facing the way that they needed to go. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Do Ryu Sen!" He yelled, sending a massive wave of sand at all of the Sinscale. "Come on, while they can't see too well!"

The three charged through the disoriented fiends, cutting down three for every time they got hit. They split through the Sinscale like a hot knife through butter, leaving nothing but the corpses of the Sinscale that had tried to kill them in their wake. When they finally met up with what remained of the Crusaders they were greeted by a grim sight. More then half of the Crusaders lay dead or dying, and the other half were quickly joining them.

"Wonderful." Ryan muttered as another group of Sinscale assaulted them. Suddenly a beam of energy shot out of something the three couldn't see, and slammed into the shield Sin had erected to protect itself from the constant barrage of cannon fire.

"What the hell was that!" Matt yelled in an agitated voice as he cut another Sinscale in half, only to get cut on the leg by one to his side.

"That, I'm guessing, was an Al Bhed machina!" Ryan yelled back as he and several of the remaining Crusaders battled back against the never-ending wave of Sinscale, desperately trying to protect a white mage while she healed someone that wasn't beyond hope yet.

It didn't work. One of the fiends got past them and charged up behind her. Before she even knew it was there it rammed one of its pointed front legs through her back, covering the horrified man she was healing in blood as it erupted out of the front of her chest. For a few seconds she looked around frantically, coughing up blood the entire time. Ryan's eyes met hers for a second. They were filled with pain, despair, fear, but only at first. Slowly they grew warmer, and she tried to say something but chocked on her own blood in her attempt. Ryan's heart stopped for a second. The mage's face disappeared, and in its place was the face of a girl with brown hair, sad brown eyes, and somewhat pale skin.

'No. Not again.' Ryan thought, his heart beating faster then it ever had before. He didn't notice his heart beat though, andhe didn't notice the Sinscale that he was cutting in half. All he could see was her face, pale, sad, afraid, and betrayed. 'Stop, leave me alone!" He thought as his vision started to fade until eventually it was all black. Even then, in the cool darkness of sleep her face haunted him.

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Yuna watched in horror as Sin charged up for an attack. "We have to stop it!" She yelled. "It'll kill them all!"

"We can't. Forget about them. They're beyond our help now." Auron said as he watched the energy field around Sin expand. 'Jecht.' He thought bitterly, the hatred that came with being an unsent rising until he could barely control it.

With a flash the Al Bhed's secret weapon fired again, the two powers colliding. At first it looked like the machina might actually win, but then Sin stopped holding back, and its energy field easily overtook the Al Bhed laser. Not only did it destroy the cannon, but the field also expanded down, overtaking the beach and started quickly to head for the Cliff the group was standing on.

"Everyone down!" Auron yelled, grabbing Yuna and dragging her to the ground with him just before the field overtook the cliff. Being an unsent, Auron jumped up and absorbed most of the attack, saving his allies and Seymour, despite the fact that many of them were thrown around in the process. He glanced down towards the beach, and watched as almost everything living that the field touched died. Suddenly there was a flash, so bright that, even with his sunglasses, Auron had to shield his eye from it. Three colors combined, white, yellow, and red, to form a glowing dome of energy inside of Sin's field. "What in the name of Spira?" Auron wondered aloud as Sin's energy field started to disappear.

"Sir Auron!" Seymour said calmly. Auron turned and grunted when he saw the Sinspawn get back up. "We must protect Lady Yuna!"

Auron nodded and moved so that he was in-between the Sinspawn and Yuna's unconscious form. He growled at the thing quietly. Suddenly a powerful fire spell burnt the thing's head nearly clean off. "Power Break!" he yelled, slamming his glowing sword down on one of the arms, nearly cutting it off.

"Fira!" Seymour yelled, hitting the other arm with the magic, disintegrating it instantly. "Sir Auron, the body!" He yelled as he cast another spell on the other arm.

"Ah!" Yuna yelled when she saw the massive Sinspawn revived and fighting with the two men. Her voice caused Auron to glance back, and the massive creature regenerated an arm and sent him sailing back towards her. "Oh my gosh, Cure!" She yelled, pointing her staff at Auron.

"Thanks." Auron replied as he stood up and charged the fiend once again. This time he jumped up and drove his sword into the ground. Energy traveled through the ground and slammed into the Sinspawn's body and arm, killing both instantly.

"What was that?" Yuna asked in surprise.

"Bushido: Dragon Fang." Auron replied as he sheathed his massive sword and Seymour put away his staff.

"Oh, Sin!" Yuna gasped as she saw the monster starting to leave. "Everyone stand back, I'll summon!" Yuna yelled as she prepared to summon Valefor.

"You won't hurt it!" Seymour stated. "Your powers are still… too weak."

"I must do something!" Yuna replied, still not lowering her rod.

"You can't!" Seymour yelled. Finally Yuna dropped her staff, only to notice Tidus swimming after Sin. "Tidus!"

"Fool." Auron muttered as he watched until Tidus gave up the chase. 'But what was that light on the beach? It was powerful enough to stop Sin's attack.'

For another hour Yuna and Auron searched throughout the carnage, locating their friends painfully slow. When they got to the beach they were shocked to see so many Crusaders had survived Sin's energy field.

"It was those three." Luzzu said, pointing to the unconscious forms of Matt, Andy, and Ryan. "Thank Yevon they were here. Whatever they did, it saved us. I truly hope they're okay." He added somewhat sadly. "They haven't moved once since I woke up."

"God you're such a pessimist!" Ryan yelled suddenly, throwing a handful of wet sand at Luzzu and hitting him in the back, drawing a laugh from Gatta and the other surviving Crusaders. It was a grim laugh. "And what the hell is with all this 'they saved us' crap? I didn't do shit."

"Perhaps, but the light that saved us came from the three of you." Lucil said, doing the prayer gesture towards the waking teens.

'What? They made the light?' Auron thought to himself, more then a little surprised. "As soon as you three are able to walk we head for Djose Temple." He ordered. An hour later they were back on the road, fighting the various fiends along the way until they at last reached Djose Temple.

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YAY! it's finally up. please, tell me what you think, i desperately need more reviewers so recommend it to your friends! and what was the light that Luzzu claims came from Ryan Matt and Andy? How was it strong enough to drive off an attack from Sin? and what happened to Ryan before he blacked out?i hope you enjoyed reading this as much as i enjoyed writing it. sorry about the errors, i know i missed some.i always do, no matter how much iproofread.but i seem to be averaging 20 pages a chapter now... or at least with these last three reviews i have. anyway, just read and review and recomend this story to your friends! 


	8. Another Summoner, and Another Guardian

I'm back! first i'd like to apologize to all my fans who have been waiting for this latest chapter. Sorry it took so long. the few times i was able to get onto the computer this week, or should i say when i was able to get on sunday night and monday, were spent toiling away on a 200 point biology assignment. cries i hate bio so much, no offense to anyone out there that likes it.ok, now that that's outta the way, on to replying to my reviewers!

evilpunkgoth- welcome to the story! always glad to get new reveiwers. and i'm glad you like it!

Da KeR MysTeRr- wow... didn't think the last chapter was _THAT _long. oh well, i'm glad you like it! sorry it took so long to update again.

lightningwiazrd- glad you like the fight between Tidus, Ryan, and Auron. and yes, the Ryu Kan Sen Tsumuji, man that's a pain to spell, is a great move. i actually tried it once... sweatdrop it didn't work so well. anyway, i'm glad someone mentioned Andy's overdrive. it took me forever to think of what it would be.

Sephirothxx- thanx! i'm glad i'm doing such a good job, and that people i didn't force to read my story are reading it! and reviewing too, i feel so priveleaged. and i really screwed the spelling up on that one. oh well, it's 6:32 am.and again, i apologize for getting this chapter up so late, i had problems getting on the computer, and when i was on, i didn't have time to work on it.

and now that that's done, on to the story...

* * *

Chapter 8: Another Summoner, and Another Guardian

"So this is the Djose Temple?" Ryan asked when they stopped. He glanced around, looking for the temple. He saw a few people, one of those glowing blue balls that Yuna went to whenever one of her Aeons needed healing, a shop right next to that, and the big rock that the path lead up to. "What, is this an earth Aeon or something?"

Yuna and Wakka laughed, Lulu looked at him like she'd never seen him before, and Auron grunted as usual. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the big rock, shattering it. As the large chunks started to spin they revealed the temple. "I guess that's the temple, eh?" Andy asked.

"The Lightning Mushroom Rock. It only opens when a Summoner is addressing the Fayth." Lulu said as the group started towards the now revealed temple.

"Guess there's another Summoner in there then." Andy muttered.

"What if it's Dona?" Tidus asked.

"We have to hurry." Yuna replied, walking a little faster then normal.

"Right! In we go!" Tidus said as he picked up his speed to match the young Summoner's.

"Is it me, or did Yuna not seem like she was in a rush until Dona's name was mentioned?" Ryan questioned aloud.

"Seems to me like she wants to beat Dona." Matt replied with a grin. "Do I sense a rivalry forming?"

"Maybe." Andy said, also grinning. "Maybe."

"Hey!" Gatta called out, flagging the group down as the got closer to the entrance of the temple.

"Well if it isn't Gatta and Luzzu. How have you two been?" Andy asked as the group walked towards the two excommunicated crusaders.

"We've been doing alright, considering everything that's happened. The temple has let us back in, which is good. But… I am beginning to wonder whether or not it's worth being a crusader anymore." Luzzu replied more than a little sadly.

"All of that death, and we barely hurt it. If we even hurt it at all." Gatta added, shaking his head sadly. "We were fools to think we could stop him, that much is clear now."

"Maybe you two should go back to Besaid for awhile. You know, heal up, do some soul searching, that sort of thing." Ryan replied after a few seconds. "It's gonna take a little while before the Crusaders have enough strength to do anything, right? Take some time off."

"Yeah, go back home for awhile bruddas. Besides," Wakka added as he turned to face Luzzu, "I can't beat up on you if you're all depressed, ya?"

Luzzu chuckled slightly at the comment. "I suppose not. Perhaps we should go back home for a while. Gatta, what do you think?"

"Me?" Gatta asked, surprised. Luzzu simply nodded. "Well, we do have a lot of friends there. And it has been awhile since we saw them. I think it'd be kind of nice to go home for awhile."

"Alright then. Guess it's settled. We'll see you two once we mop the floor with Sin." Tidus said enthusiastically, not noticing everyone suddenly becoming very silent. Ryan, Andy, and Matt didn't miss it, and mentally noted it as a point of interest, an action they found themselves doing a lot since arriving in Spira.

"We must go. Yuna has to pray to the Fayth." Auron said coldly before turning to walk towards the temple, everyone else falling in behind him.

'The Lightning Mushroom Rock, must be the lightning Aeon. Heh, this should be interesting.' Matt thought as they entered the temple and saw two men and a kid moving towards them.

"I beg your pardon, but may I ask your name?" The paler of the two men asked, or maybe he just wasn't as tan. Matt wasn't sure.

"I am Summoner Yuna, from the Isle of Besaid." Yuna replied, bowing.

"As I thought, the daughter of Lord Braska. You have the look of your father around him." The man replied, also bowing.

'Geez, are we in Japan or something? Every time we meet someone there's so much bowing involved.' Ryan thought, but he kept the comment to himself.

"My father, you knew him?"

"No. I have never met the man. Ah, my apologizes. I am Issaru. I am a Summoner like you." The man that Yuna had been talking to replied. The little kid stepped forward.

"I'm Pacce. Pleased to meet you." He said with a cheerful grin.

"And I'm Maroda. I'm guarding my big brother here." The other man replied, nodding slightly.

"Since I was a child, I've always looked up to Lord Braska. I wished someday I would become a High Summoner like he was. You must have some of your father's talent in you. I think that one day you might defeat Sin."

Yuna blushed. "I… I'm not really… I've only just become a Summoner." She said quietly.

Issaru smiled slightly. "Of course, I've no intention of losing either. So perhaps we should race to see who can defeat Sin first, no?"

Yuna nodded. "Very well then. I accept your challenge."

"Issaru!" Maroda said, obviously getting somewhat annoyed.

Issaru sighed. "I beg your leave. Good luck, to both of us." He offered before the three moved on.

"Well at least he's cooler then Dona." Ryan said as they followed Yuna up the stairs to the Fayth.

"Hey you!" Issaru said, rushing back into the temple with Maroda a step behind him. Tidus, Andy, Matt, and Ryan turned back to face him. "You are Yuna's guardians, no? Maroda heard a curious rumor, I thought you should know."

"I heard it from the Crusaders. Turns out that Summoners have been going out on their pilgrimages and just… disappearing." Maroda said darkly.

"It could be the fiends got to them… but not so many so quickly." Issaru added.

"Sorry I don't know more." Maroda said. "Just… watch your back. Ain't much future for a guardian without a Summoner, eh?"

"What? Whatcha all talkin' 'bout?" Pacce asked as he ran up to is two brothers.

"We're talkin' about doing your job as a guardian." Maroda said with a grin towards his younger brother.

"Hey, I'm doing good. Right, big brother?" Pacce asked and Issaru nodded.

"Please, be careful." He said to the four as his guardians walked out of the temple.

"You too." Ryan replied as they turned and walked into the Trials.

"All right! Guardians, at attention!" Wakka said when the four of them met up with the others.

"We are ready." Yuna said with a nod.

"All right… Let's do it!" Wakka said as they started into the Trials.

"This is what I hate about the Trials." Ryan said ten minutes later when they hadn't gotten anywhere. "And this chasm of lightning is really annoying." He said as he watched the electricity filled chasm out of sheer boredom.

"Come on, it's only been ten minutes. My good, you're supposed to be the one that puts everything together for us!" Matt complained in an annoyed voice.

"You had Mr. Smith too you know." Ryan shot back, glancing back at Matt who was leaning against a pedestal. Looking down he noticed some odd shapes in the floor. "What the hell?" He wondered aloud, drawing everyone's attention as he walked over and pushed the pedestal off the markings.

"What is it? What did you find?" Matt asked. Ryan pointed to the markings, two of which were glowing. "What about them? They glow, big deal?"

Ryan ignored him and kept looking at the markings. "Why aren't these three glowing like the other two?" he asked, pointing to the center of the eye looking one and two wing looking ones.

"That's a good question." Matt admitted, leaning down to get a better look at the thing. "And what's with these things coming off them?" He asked, pointing to little pathways leading from each of the markings.

"They go to the spheres?" Ryan asked aloud as he followed one of the two glowing paths. He pulled one of the spheres out and the eye looking marking stopped glowing.

"Hey, there are slots for spheres over here!" Andy called from the right side of the room. Walking over Ryan placed the sphere he was holding into the first of the two slots in the wall. Matt walked over, grabbed the second one from its spot next to the door, and placed it into the remaining slot on the wall. The glow that had started when Ryan placed the first one continued, through the second sphere, up the wall and into a pedestal that was hanging off of the ceiling.

"Wonder what that does, ya?" Wakka wondered aloud, watching the hanging pedestal curiously.

"Look out Wakka." Matt said as he walked past the man and pushed the pedestal towards the hanging one. There was a flash of lightning when the two were lined up. After several seconds of lightning jumping down into the sphere on the lower pedestal the lightning stopped coming.

"What the hell was that?" Andy wondered allowed as he cautiously approached the pedestal. "Well it looks safe…"

"Hey, if you never take any risks, you'll never get anywhere in life, right?" Ryan muttered with a quiet gulp as he wrapped his sweatshirt around his hand and picked up the sphere. He grinned after a few seconds. "Well it didn't blow up on me."

"Damn, here I thought I'd found the perfect way to get rid of you without being blamed." Matt said with a laugh. Yuna paled, Tidus looked at him in confusion, and Lulu raised an eyebrow with Wakka. Ryan burst out laughing, and they all swung around to look at him. "Sorry, just a joke between friends."

"Okay, so we've got a powered-up sphere, now what?" Ryan asked, looking around. "Do we still need those two in there?"

"Probably not." Matt stated his opinion.

"Your turn." Ryan said, throwing Tidus the sphere and sitting down. "What?" He asked when Tidus just stared at him.

"What do I do now?" He asked, drawing a sigh from Matt and Ryan, who stood back up. Matt grabbed the two spheres out of the wall and Ryan took the super-charged one, and they started to walk around the room.

"Hey, this thing's got two spheres." Tidus said suddenly, pointing to the pedestal. Matt looked down at his hands, and shook his head.

"Wow." He muttered as he placed the two spheres in the pedestal, and Tidus pushed it into the void of lightning. "What the hell?" Matt cried out when the pedestal sat there, floating in nothing, rather then drop down like it had when they'd done it earlier. "Guess we needed both spheres in there."

"I'll be right back." Tidus said with a grin as he jumped onto the pedestal. He nearly fell, but regained his balance at the last minute. He jumped the rest of the way, landing safely on the other side. He pushed a pedestal and the iris part of the symbols on the floor lit up. Tidus jumped across and Andy stepped back, accidentally setting of a switch that brought the pedestal back to the center of the room.

"Matt, put the spheres back in the spots that activated the wings." Ryan said as he put the super-charged sphere into the left slot on the door, activating the last part of they symbol. "Guess that's our ride?"

"A pedestal turned elevator. This place just keeps getting better and better." Andy muttered as the group walked onto the elevator and rode it up to the next level. On the second level there was a locked door to the group's left, and straight ahead was a mostly circular room with five pedestals sticking out slightly.

"Fifty bucks says we have to push the pedestals." Ryan said quietly as the group walked into the room with the pedestals.

"Yeah, probably." Matt said as he walked over to the nearest pedestal and started to push it. It moved over something behind it, and lightning raced up a spoke that ran to the center of the ceiling. "Yep, we gotta push 'em." Matt confirmed with a grin as Auron, Kimahri, Wakka, and Tidus pushed the other five pedestals into position, lightning racing through them and to the center of the ceiling.

"Now what?" Andy asked aloud.

"The door that we saw before." Auron stated flatly, walking back to the room with the elevator. When the others got there he began walking up the stairs, everyone but Ryan and Matt following.

"Something wrong?" Tidus asked, noticing the two walking back towards the elevator.

"Nah, we just like to make sure we don't miss anything, that's all. We'll be right there, so take care of Yuna for us!" Ryan said as the elevator started going down. Tidus shrugged and went with the rest of the guardians.

"Where are Ryan and Matt?" Lulu demanded of the newer guardian.

"They said they wanted to make sure that we didn't miss anything. They also said they'd be right up." Tidus replied.

"I see. Well they are very through." Lulu admitted.

"No," Andy said quietly, "they're RPG players."

888

"Alright, what's different down here? Nothing at first glance, that's for sure." Ryan muttered as the elevator reached the bottom floor and the two boys stepped off. "If I were ancient architect, where would I put secret rooms or rewards?" Ryan asked aloud as he started looking around the upside down pedestal.

"How about behind a glowing symbol on the wall?" Matt called out from the other side of the room, by the switch to bring the original pedestal back to the center of the room.

"Yeah, probably." Ryan agreed as he jogged over in time to see Matt touch the symbol. The wall in front of the two disappeared after a few seconds, revealing a treasure chest and a purple sphere. "Well isn't that original, a treasure chest." Ryan said with a quiet laugh. "Okay, let's see what we've got here." He said as he opened the treasure chest. He sighed.

"What's up, what've you got in there?" Matt asked as he grabbed the sphere and turned around.

"Just a stupid token. Sort of like the ones Andy found at the dead end in Mi'Ihen highroad. Only this one looks like it is… Uranus maybe?" Ryan asked as much as stated.

"Does it matter? Let's go, we've got a sphere to use up." Matt said, showing Ryan the purple sphere and heading back up to the second level via the magic lift. "Well what do you know, this pedestal is missing a sphere." Matt said with a laugh. "Can't ask for it to be much easier than that can you?"

"Not really, no." Ryan said as they walked over and put the sphere into the remaining slot on the pedestal. A section of the wall off to their right blew up, revealing another treasure chest. "Wow, guess that was a destruction sphere."

"Certainly seems that way." Matt agreed as they opened the chest to find a lone sphere in it. "What, all that for another sphere? That's just plain bullshit!"

"What's bullshit?" Dona asked, coming up the elevator with her guardian, Barthello.

"Wonderful." Ryan whispered just quiet enough for Dona and Barthello to not hear. "Well let's get back to the others, we've got a job to do."

"Right." Matt agreed as they ignored a complaining Dona and started up the stairs that led to the room Yuna's other guardians were waiting in.

"What kept you?" Tidus questioned when they walked in.

Matt threw Tidus the sphere before Dona and Barthello walked into the room. "Well, well. Still traveling with quite the crowd, I see." Dona said as Barthello walked over and stared at Auron for a few seconds.

"It's impolite to stare." Andy said, drawing a scowl from Dona, though he wasn't sure why.

"What is it Barthello. You know this riffraff?" She demanded.

Barthello ignored her, instead asking a question of Auron. "You are… Auron, no?"

"What of it?" Auron replied calmly.

"Can I… shake your hand? Auron- no. Sir Auron." Barthello corrected himself, and Dona nearly dropped dead when she realized who the one-eyed man was. "You're the reason I became a guardian!" Auron chuckled, which drew a surprised look from all of Yuna's other guardians, minus the never changing Kimahri, and then he shook Barthello's hand. "Thank you Sir! This means so much to me!"

Wakka turned to a still shocked Dona. "Calling the personal guardian to Lord Braska Riffraff?" He mocked.

"And you call yourself a Summoner?" Lulu added in, furthering Dona's embarrassment.

"Barthello, enough!" Dona snapped with a beat red face. "Get back here!"

Barthello obeyed, but as he walked by Tidus whispered for him to hang in there. A few minutes later Yuna came out of the Chamber of the Fayth, and would have collapsed if Kimahri hadn't been there to catch her.

"You owe much to your father. All these guardians... and Sir Auron, too?" Dona asked mockingly.

"Oh, so _now _he's 'Sir' Auron?" Matt asked, and Dona's face flashed red with anger for a second before she regained her composure.

"I also heard that Maester Seymour's quiet taken with you. The world must look different when you're the daughter of Lord Braska." Dona finished, obviously making fun of Yuna.

"You know, you don't hide your jealousy very well…" Ryan muttered, and it took most of his self control to keep from laughing at the face Dona made in an attempt to intimidate him.

"This has nothing to do with my father!" Yuna stated firmly. "I'm traveling on my own, as a full fledged Summoner!"

"Oh, is that so? Then try standing on your own two legs for once." Dona demanded in yet another mocking tone as she walked up to Yuna.

'Damn Dona, you're an annoying bitch.' Ryan thought bitterly, annoyance rising inside him as he watched Dona whisper something to Yuna. After that she left, followed closely by an overly joyful Barthello who was muttering about never washing his hand again.

"Guess we should probably leave too, eh?" Andy said as he stood up and stretched. Exhausted from the long day the group left the cloister. A priest directed them to a room where Yuna and Lulu could spend the night, and sent the others to the nearby building to sleep.

"Andy, Matt. You two will be practicing with Tidus and Ryan tonight." Auron stated outside the temple.

Wakka laughed as he and Kimahri walked towards the inn. "Don't stay up too late, ya? And don't hurt yourselves with you toys bruddas!" he taunted as he disappeared into the inn with Kimahri and Auron.

"Hey, Auron, where the hell are you going?" Ryan demanded, but Auron didn't even stop walking. The four teens sighed. "Guess we're doing this the old fashioned way then."

"And how are we," Matt asked, pointing from himself to Andy, "supposed to spar with you guys? We only have real weapons." Suddenly three pieces of wood shot out from the door of the inn. The teens walked over to them and Matt sighed. "Or Auron could be incredibly prepared." He said as he looked at the entirely wooden axe, and the two wooden fist blades lying on the ground in front of him.

"Guess we'd better get started then. Faster we get this over with, the faster I can go to bed." Andy said as he slipped the fist blades on, surprised at how close to his actually weapon the fit was. "Okay Ryan, come on." He said, waving his friend towards him.

"Guess that means it you and me then." Tidus said with a grin as he dropped his real sword and drew his bamboo one. With a sigh Matt picked up the wooden axe, surprised at how heavy it was.

'Same weight as my actual axe. Damn Auron, do a little research?' Matt wondered as Tidus started his usual headlong charge. 'Are you serious?' Matt questioned silently as he stepped to the side, easily hitting Tidus in the stomach with the butt of his axe's hilt and dodging the blitzer's attack at the same time. Tidus fell to the ground with a grunt, rubbing his stomach gingerly.

"Damn, take it easy!" He complained as he stood back up.

"Hey, not my fault." Matt replied simply, drawing a confused look from Tidus.

"What do you mean it's not your fault? You hit me didn't you?" He demanded.

"It only hurt because you charged in at full speed." Matt shot back. Tidus thought about it for a second before silently admitting that Matt was right. "Ready to try again?"

"Shut up!" Tidus yelled, charging in again. He slashed down, and Matt stepped to the side. This time Tidus spun with him, dodging Matt's counter and hitting him in the arm. He was about to taunt Matt when a lightning bolt hit him, sending him to the ground almost instantly.

"Don't tell me that's all you've got." Matt asked as he looked at Tidus who was struggling to get up. "Hey, you okay?" Matt waited a few seconds, and Tidus still didn't respond. "Hey, come on, don't die on me damn it! Ryan, get your ass over here now!"

"What is it?" Ryan called out, dodging two quick punches and a kick from Andy.

"Just move it!" Matt yelled. Ryan sighed, jumped up, and pushed off of Andy, launching himself towards Matt and the pain wracked Tidus. "I hit him with a lightning bolt."

"Geez, such a hassle." Ryan muttered as he closed his eyes and put his hand over Tidus. After a few seconds a wave of healing magic shot over Tidus, and his face relaxed visibly. "We'd probably better take him inside." Ryan said as he signaled for Matt to help him take Tidus inside.

"Hey, what happen to him, ya?" Wakka asked when the two teens dragged Tidus into the inn, Andy opening and closing doors for them.

"Matt knocked him out." Ryan muttered, and nobody questioned it. "Guess we're done for the night then, aren't we?" Ryan asked once they'd gotten Tidus into his room.

"Looks that way." Andy said with a yawn, walking into their room. "Damn, it's raining out." He muttered, glancing out the window. "We really are done for tonight."

"Well, Ryan'll be back in a little while." Matt said as he walked in and laid down on one of the two beds. "So we'll just let him have these pillows, and this blanket, and he'll be fine."

"What do you mean he'll be 'back in a little while'?" Andy asked as he watched Matt throw the sleeping articles on the floor.

"He likes the rain, and he's not tired for some reason. He's probably out there right now, staring at the sky." Matt replied through a yawn. "If you wanna know anymore then go ask him yourself. I'm going to bed."

'What the hell Ryan? Do you enjoy getting sick?' Andy wondered for a few seconds before shrugging the question off and going to bed.

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Ryan was looking up at the dark storm clouds, and he was thinking too. Thinking about things he'd rather not, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop. The tears that he often found himself holding back refused to stay pent up, and he could feel them rolling down his cheeks.

"Something wrong?" Auron asked, startling him out of his gloomy thoughts.

"No, just… thinking." Ryan said just loud enough to be heard of the rain. Auron looked at him for a second.

"You're crying." He said bluntly. Ryan didn't deny it.

"And you're perceptive as hell, to be able to tell when someone's crying in the rain, that's impressive." Ryan replied. Auron didn't say anything, just watched Ryan from where he was standing. The rain didn't bother him, and he was an unsent, so he didn't have to worry about getting sick. "So what do you want?"

"Why are you crying?" Auron asked.

"Does it matter?" Ryan countered more crossly then he wanted to.

"Perhaps." Auron said calmly.

Ryan chuckled to himself. "Yeah right." He replied. "What do you care? So long as I do my job as one of Yuna's guardians, there aren't any problems, right? Don't worry, this won't get in the way of me protecting Yuna."

"Then why are you hiding it?" Lulu asked, walking out of the inn with an umbrella.

"Geez, you too?" Ryan asked with a sigh. "It's just… she always loved to stand in the rain…" He said quietly.

"Who?" Lulu asked.

"That would be a conversation for another time." Ryan said as he turned and headed inside. He didn't stop to talk to Wakka or Kimahri. He just went right to his room.

"You were thinking about her again, weren't you?" Matt asked after Ryan had settled into the unbelievably comfortable armchair that was in the corner by the window.

"… Yeah." Ryan admitted after a short period of silence. Matt didn't say anything else. He'd known Ryan for almost four years, and he knew that Ryan wasn't in a talking mood.

888

"You are up early." Auron said as Ryan walked out of the room. "The sun won't be up for another… three hours."

"So?" Ryan asked as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Get over whatever had you chocked up?" Auron replied. Ryan flipped him off and poured himself a cup of coffee instead of answering the ancient guardian.

"You know what Auron?" Ryan asked as he put some milk in. "One of these days you're gonna get your ass kicked." Auron chuckled at the statement which caused Ryan to turn around so quickly he spilled his coffee no his pants. 'Holy shit, hell must be freezing over!' he thought.

"It's been a long time since I last laughed." Auron said quietly after awhile.

"Really now, never would've guessed that." Ryan said sarcastically as he poured another cup of coffee. There was an awkward silence. "Auron… about last night."

"What about it?" Auron asked, turning to look at Ryan.

"I'll tell you why someday. But for now, just let it go." Ryan said before walking outside with his coffee cup.

Auron watched the kid walk past him, and he didn't miss the far-off, distant look in Ryan's eyes. At around 10 Tidus decided to go to the temple to see what was keeping Yuna. Five minutes later he was walking back out, smiling.

"What are you so happy about? Finally get a kiss?" Ryan asked joking, and he snorted when Tidus' face went almost as red as Dona's had the day before.

"Yo, sleepyhead!" Wakka yelled to Yuna when she walked out of the temple a few minutes later, still sporting bed hair.

"Sorry, so sorry." She apologized before turning to Auron. "Please forgive me." She requested with a bow.

"Really, there's no rush," Lulu said with a smile. "here, your hair." She said, holding out a comb to the young Summoner who looked puzzled for a second before realizing she hadn't brushed her hair.

"A Summoner with bed hair. What's this world comin' to?" Wakka teased and everyone else laughed.

"You could have woken me up." Yuna replied.

"We called to you, but with all that snoring…" Lulu trailed off, and everyone started laughing.

"Hmmmm… what is it today? Everyone's picking on me!" Yuna complained, which drew a laugh from Auron. "You too Sir Auron?"

"Once Lady Yuna fixes her hair, we leave." Auron said.

"Damn, Lucifer must be getting sick down there." Ryan muttered as they waited for Yuna to finish brushing her hair.

"Why's that?" Andy asked.

"That's twice today Auron's laughed." Ryan replied with a slight smile at Andy and Matt's surprised faces. "What? It was right after I woke up." Ryan informed.

"Ah, so you're the only other person that was up." Matt said.

"Yup. Surprised me so much I spilled my coffee on myself." Ryan admitted with a grin as he stood up, noticing that Yuna was handing Lulu back her brush. "Where are we headed anyway?"

"Some place called the Moonflow." Andy answered. "Lulu told me yesterday, before you two finished doing whatever you were doing in the cloister."

"Ahh." Ryan and Matt said in unison as the group started off. After a few random fiend battles, which seemed to be ending faster every time they occurred, two massive Ronso showed up and started calling Tidus and Kimahri hornless goatlings. Kimahri stepped up and for a second he seemed like he was going to beat the two down.

"You come to insult Kimahri?" He asked.

"Wrong. We come to warn little Kimahri." The one Ronso said.

"Summoners disappear. Never return." The second said.

"Next will be Kimahri's Summoner." The first one said again.

"Poor Kimahri! Lost his horn, next lose his Summoner!" The second taunted.

"Pitiful Kimahri. How alone! How alone!" The first added before they left.

"Those two got something against you?" Tidus asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind. Kimahri shook his head. "So they came here just to pick on you?"

"Kimahri will deal with them." Kimahri replied.

"And I'll help!" Tidus added.

"Kimahri alone." The Ronso guardian said quietly.

"But…" Tidus started, but Wakka cut him off.

"It's Kimahri's problem. We can't interfere, ya? It's a rule!" he explained.

"I'm worried." Lulu said quietly.

"Let the Ronso deal with the Ronso problems, that's how it's always been." Wakka replied.

"I mean I'm worried about the Summoners just disappearing." Lulu said, glancing at Yuna with a worried look.

"They aren't just disappearing into thin air." Auron added.

"Hey, if we guardians do our job… no problem, right?" Tidus asked.

"He does have a point. Our job's to protect Yuna till she beats Sin. No way anyone's gonna get through all of us." Andy added.

"Confident." Lulu said with a small smile.

"Yeah." Tidus and Andy said as the group moved on. After a few more fiend battles they encountered Belgemine again, and again she challenged Yuna to a duel, which Yuna accepted. All of the guardians backed out of the way, giving the two Summoners room to call forth their Aeons.

Belgemine summoned first, calling upon an Aeon that Ryan, Matt, Andy, and Tidus had never seen before. It was a giant Unicorn, and its horn was made out of some gold metal, and lightning was arching around it.

"That would be your Aeon Matt." Ryan whispered as Yuna called forth Ifrit. "And there would be yours Andy." He added.

"Ifrit! Hellfire!" Yuna ordered, and Ifrit replied. The two balls of energy hit Ixion and engulfed the Aeon in their power. Next Ifrit ripped the ground out and threw it into the ball of energy, and when the dust faded everyone was more then a little surprised to see Ixion standing.

"Ixion, haste!" Belgemine yelled. Ryan, Matt, and Andy all had their eyes widen in surprise when the unicorn started moving even faster, making it roughly three times as fast as Ifrit. With its speed it was quickly wearing down the more powerful Aeon.

'How did it cast Haste on itself?' Matt wondered as he watched the battle that was quickly turning against Yuna. Suddenly Ifrit grabbed Ixion by the horn and started slamming it into the ground as hard as it could.

"Brutality." Ryan muttered as Ixion started to fade into pyreflies.

"Yeah, sounds about right." Matt agreed as Belgemine handed Yuna two scales and a glowing white sphere she called a Summoner's Soul.

"With this you'll be able to teach your Aeons new abilities." Belgemine explained before walking away.

'So that's how your Ixion used Haste. I get it now.' Matt thought as they continued down the road until they came to a river with pyreflies coming out of it.

"This is the Moonflow." Lulu informed as the group stopped in front of the water.

"These," Yuna said while pointing at some flowers in the river, "are moonlillies! They say that clouds of Pyreflies gather here when night falls."

"The entire river glows like a sea of stars." Lulu added.

"That sounds like it'd be nice to see." Ryan admitted.

"We're not waiting till nightfall." Auron stated as he turned to the left and started down the beaten path.

"Oh well." Ryan said with a shrug as the rest of the group started off after Auron.

"Hey guys. Why is there an elephant with fin looking things on it here?" Andy asked, pointing to the Shoopuf in front of him.

"What's an elephant? This is a Shoopuf." Lulu informed them.

"Shoopuf, elephant, they look pretty much the same to me." Andy replied. "They both even carry people around places." After awhile the handler called for them to board, and then they were on their way. During the ride they passed by an ancient, sunken city. Lulu and Wakka explained that the Al Bhed built it over a thousand years ago. After some talk about war, and Sin being born from it there was a shake from the water.

"What was that?" Ryan asked looking over the side of the little thing they were all sitting in, almost expecting to see Jaws swimming around them. Auron yelled at Yuna to sit down, but as soon as she did an Al Bhed jumped off the top of the thing, grabbed Yuna, and jumped in the water. "Shit!" Ryan yelled as he jumped after the two, swallowing a blitzing pill just before he entered the water. Four more splashes, and so many air bubbles that Ryan was temporarily blinded signified the entrances of Tidus, Andy, Wakka, and Matt.

"Where's Yuna?" Tidus called out and Ryan glared back.

"I lost her when you four jumped in!" He yelled. Suddenly a giant machine with a snow globe looking thing on it rose up out of the sunken city. Yuna was inside the snow globe looking part. "Damn it, why is looking out for people always such a hassle?"

"Haste!" Tidus yelled, repeating the spell on each member of the party. Tidus, Matt, Andy, and Ryan took off, swimming circles around the thing and dodging the tentacle looking things that it sometimes attacked with, while Wakka pounded on it from a distance with his blitzball.

"Screw this!" Matt yelled as he raised his right hand, preparing to cast a thunder spell.

"Stop!" Ryan and Andy yelled at the same time, causing Matt to cast the spell in his surprise. The lightning shot down through the surface of the water, and went out in every direction, electrocuting everyone in the water.

'Damn it!' Ryan thought as his vision began to blur. He closed his one open eye and concentrated, gathering his pitiful magical power around himself. He felt the sensation it left as it washed over him, healing the wounds Matt's spell had caused. Once the feeling was gone he opened his eyes. Wakka was shaking his head, Andy was starting to float towards the surface, and Tidus looked like he'd just woken up. However Matt looked like he'd just had the best sleep of his life. He swam up to Andy and forced a potion to go down his throat, reviving him almost instantly while Ryan cast healing magic on Tidus, surprising the teen more then a little.

"Hey, no more Thunder spells, ya?" Wakka requested before going back to his attack against the machina.

"Sorry!" Matt replied, he and Andy swimming towards the Machina. Just before they reached it, the Machina rose up higher into the water, and started to drop barrels out of the bottom.

'No way.' Ryan thought in horror as he watched Tidus run into one of them, and get blown back into Wakka as a result. "Don't touch'em! They're depth charges!" He yelled.

"Now you tell me?" Tidus complained as he pushed off of Wakka and drove his sword into the machina, piercing the metal and causing sparks to shoot out of the hole his sword made. As more water seeped into the hole the number of sparks coming out of it grew, and the machina started to sink.

'Duh, short circuit it.' Ryan thought, slapping himself in the head as he swam around the thing and copied the attack, except he ripped his sword out rather then pulling it back out the hole he caused putting it in. A wave of sparks hit him as a result, burning his arms and chest. Cursing he swam away as fast as his burnt body would allow.

"I think that did it you two!" Wakka yelled, and Ryan looked around in confusion until he saw Matt swimming away from the sinking Machina.

Suddenly Ryan stopped being able to breath water, the affects of the blitzing pill wearing off. 'Shit he thought as he desperately started to swim upward, taking his sweatshirt and shirt off as he went. By the time he broke the surface his lungs burned, and Andy and Matt were quick to join him, all three of them gasping for oxygen.

"Where's Yuna?" Lulu yelled down from the Shoopuf.

"Wakka and Tidus should be getting her right now!" Ryan yelled back. Almost as if to confirm that he was right the two appeared with an incredibly rattled Summoner.

"Are you hurt Yuna?" Lulu asked once the Shoopuf had put them back in the little cabin thing on it's back, which had taken a little longer since Ryan had to get at least one of his shirts back, despite the fact that he, Andy, and Matt were all not wearing their shirts right now, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

"I'm fine." Yuna replied, shivering slightly.

"Damn those Al Bhed!" Wakka complained, punching his fist into his hand.

"Ish ebullibody okay?" the driver asked.

Yuna stood up and replied, "I'm sorry! We're all okay now!"

"Yuna." Auron said, and the girl sat back down quickly.

"Shoopuf fill shpeed aheads!" The driver informed as they started moving again. By the time they were on the other side they were all completely dry, and they'd listened to Wakka's constant ranting about how evil the Al Bhed were. Apparently he'd either missed the looks Ryan was giving him, or didn't care.

"Well that was fun." Ryan said once they'd gotten off the Shoopuf. "I almost wish we could do it again, but without the lightning this time." He added, giving Matt a sidelong glance.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up already, would ya?" He complained.

"You three go with Tidus. Make sure no one is waiting to ambush us up ahead." Auron said suddenly. The three side, but didn't complain. They were beginning to understand that against Auron you just couldn't win.

"So, you three ever seen a shoopuf before this?" Tidus asked as they started along the path.

"Nope." Andy said. "But we've seen things similar to shoopuf. Does that count?"

"I guess. I've never seen anything like them before." Tidus admitted.

"What on earth…?" Ryan muttered suddenly.

"What? What's wrong?" Matt asked. Ryan pointed about ten feet ahead of them, to a body lying on the ground. "What on earth?" Matt repeated. "Think it's dead?"

Before they could walk over and see if the figure was indeed dead, she stood up. And then she started to take off her wet suit. 'Holy shit!' Ryan, Andy, and Matt all thought at the same time.

"Thought I was done for back there." She said once she had stripped down to green short shorts, and orange tank top with two blue ribbons coming off, boots, a bulky glove on her left hand that went up to her elbow, and weird arm guard looking thing that ended in two blades that she could switch down, and goggles.

"Rikku!" Tidus said suddenly, pointing at the girl. "You're Rikku!" Now the girl looked up at him, and she looked more then a little confused. Her face lit up with reorganization as Tidus continued, "Hey! You're okay! How ya been?" He asked with a grin.

"Terrible!" Rikku practically yelled back at him, pouting.

"Are you okay? You don't look hurt too badly. What happened to you anyway?" Ryan wondered aloud.

"You guys beat me up, remember?" She replied.

"Wait, that machina was you?" Matt asked, catching on first.

"That really hurt you know… you big meanies!"

"Hey, you attacked us first!" Andy retorted.

"Nuh-uh." Rikku replied quietly. "It's not exactly what you think."

"Sorry, but people launching depth charges at me tends to fall under the category of attacking. Not to mention kidnapping." Ryan added in.

"Yo!" Wakka yelled from the distance, waving to the group.

Rikku glanced from Matt, to Andy, then Ryan, and back to Andy then Matt, her face a silent plead to not mention that she had been the one in the machina. 'Hey, if she was in the Machina, she's either a heretic, or she's an Al Bhed. Haven't heard of any heretics recently, and that one guard did mention Al Bhed sightings near the docks.' Ryan face blanched for a second, and he glance at Rikku quickly. He noticed her green eyes, and couldn't see a pupil. 'Yep, Al Bhed.' Ryan thought as the rest of the group caught up with them.

"Friend of yours?" Wakka asked Tidus.

"Uh, you could say that." Tidus said nervously. Matt and Ryan nearly slapped themselves when Wakka missed the fact that he was way too nervous to be telling them everything.

"Pleased to meet you! I'm Rikku!" Rikku said, stepping forward and waving to the now entirely assembled group.

"Yuna, Lulu… I told you about her, remember?" Tidus asked, pointing to Rikku. "She's the one who helped me before I washed up on Besaid with Ryan, Matt, and Andy. She's an Al Bhe… beh…" Tidus stopped, nearly revealing Rikku's lineage in front of the Al Bhed hating Wakka.

'Smooth.' Ryan thought, amazed that Wakka missed the slip up.

"Wow, so you, like owe her your life!" Wakka said in what sounded like it was almost awe. "What luck meeting here, ya? Praise be to Yevon." He said, doing the prayer gesture towards both Tidus and Rikku at the same time. "So... uh.. Rikku. You look a little beat up! You okay?"

"Uh, Wakka..." Lulu started quietly, drawing the blitzer's attention.

"Huh, what?" Wakka asked.

"There's something we need to discuss." Yuna said quietly.

"Oh," Wakka said somewhat confused, "go ahead."

"Girls only," Rikku said stepping forwards to join Yuna and Lulu, "boys please wait over there."

"Right. Sorry Wakka." Lulu said as the three turned and walked a little farther away to talk in private.

"Wonder what that's about." Ryan muttered as the guys watched the girls talk.

"Five bucks says she wants to join as a guardian." Andy replied.

"I'd bet you on it, but I think you're right." Matt replied as the girls walked over to Auron. "And why do they always ask permission from Auron, but nobody else?"

"Because he's a legendary guardian and compared to him we're all wannabe's?" Ryan asked more then he stated, drawing a laugh from everyone close enough to hear, except for Kimahri who, along with Auron, almost never laughed.

"Sir Auron… I would like Rikku to be my guardian." Yuna said quietly while Rikku hid her face from the one eyed guardian.

"Show me your face. Look at me." Auron replied gently.

"Oh, okay." Rikku said, turning to face Auron with closed eyes.

"Open your eyes." Auron prompted. Rikku opened her left eye and Auron nodded to himself. "As I thought."

"Uummm… no good?" Rikku asked timidly.

"Are you certain." Auron answered her question with a question of his own.

"A hundred percent! So, anyway… Can I?" She pleaded.

"If Yuna wishes it." Auron replied after a few seconds.

"Yes, I do." Yuna confirmed.

"Rikku's a good girl! She helped me a bunch!" Tidus added happily. Ryan, Andy, and Matt glanced at each other, thinking of the words in two different ways at the same time.

"Well I'm all for it! The more the merrier!" Wakka said happily, and Ryan looked at him oddly.

'So you hate the Al Bhed, yet you don't know Rikku's one of them? Have you met any Al Bhed other then Rin and the one that jumped off the Shoopuf?' Ryan wondered to himself. 'Prejudice bastards.'

"Right on!" Rikku said, throwing her hand into the air. "Then I'll just have to be the merriest. Rikku at your service!" Again Matt, Andy, and Ryan found themselves glancing at each other, warping the words.

As the group moved on they discovered that while Rikku wasn't the strongest person in the world, and didn't do much damage like Auron, or even Tidus, she was really fast, and she was good at stealing things as well. For every once Tidus attacked, Rikku got in two. For every one attack Auron got in, Rikku got in three.

"Hey Ryan. I thought you used Kenshin's style." Matt stated after a random fiend battle.

"What part of the Do Ryu Sen keeps you from believing that fully?" Ryan asked, amazed his friend, who knew most of the attacks of the style when he saw them, wouldn't believe him.

"It's got nothing to do with that. Hiten Mitsurugi Style is supposed to be an ultra-sonic sword technique. The speed of the gods, right?" Matt continued. Ryan thought about what he knew of the style he kept using without any training and nodded his confirmation. "Then why is Rikku faster then you?"

Ryan shrugged. "If I moved at the full speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style the strain would probably kill me. My heart wouldn't be able to get blood to my muscles fast enough, wouldn't you agree?" He asked with a grin.

"Guess that's true… but you have to admit that it is kind of weird." Matt replied.

"Not if you think about it." Matt gave Ryan an odd look and he sighed. "I'll explain it to you then. I can't move at the full speed yet because my body couldn't handle it. Come on, the Hiten Mitsurugi Style's true speed is just barely perceivable by human eye."

"Hey, that's a funny joke, ya?" Wakka said with a laugh, slapping Ryan on the back jokingly.

"Would be, if it were a joke." Ryan said quietly, and Wakka stopped laughing.

"Hey, what you just said, that's for real brudda?"

Ryan grinned. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style's top speed is so fast because," Ryan paused when he noticed everyone but Matt and Andy looking at him, "it's top speed is the speed of the gods."

"But you aren't that fast." Tidus pointed out.

"Yeah, but there's a reason for that." Ryan said with a grin. "If you count all the variations of the different techniques, the Hiten Mitsurugi Style has eighteen attacks in all. I've only done two, three if you count that crappy double Battou Jutsu I used against Kimahri. Now ask yourself, if I can only use two out of eighteen attacks, do you think I'm anywhere near mastering the style?"

"Well I guess not." Tidus admitted.

"Well I think we've spent too much time on this. Aren't we headed somewhere?" Ryan asked, and Yuna nodded.

"Yes. Our next stop is Guadosalam!" Yuna informed.

* * *

and there it is, in all it's long awaited glory. it was 22 pages long in word, so i think that puts it up to 86 pages overall. i'm writing long chapters again, which is good. well read and review as always. and please don't be angry with me, but my updates are going to be a little slower now, because i'm on the sound crew for the school musical and rehersal finally started. anyway, i'll get chapter 7 up as soon as i can! don't forget to review! 


	9. Confrontations with the Gods

FINALLY I'M BACK! does a little update dance okay, i'm fine. sorry for the delay everyone, i'm finding it harder and harder to get any writing done because of homework and the musical that i'm workin on for school. so for all of my, rather small, group of die hard fans that's constantly growing, here it is!but first, a few things to say to those who cared enough to review. First up, my newest reviewers!

labrat-seph- welcome! i'm glad you like my story, and i'm glad you can picture what's happening so well. it's ironic tho, because there's a character named Seph that shows up in this chapter, and the signature at the bottom of your review is a character in the sequal...

Sejast Fanel-YAY! 10's across the board! and i'm glad you like it so much. i'm pretty sure that all of the characters are staying pretty in character, including me, matt, and andy. but whether or not that's true, well that'd i'd have to ask two of my reviewers... and who says i'm not going to use you as a character? jeez... jump to conlusions or something?

Da KeR MysTeRr- wow, everyone seems to like the amount of detail in my story... good thing too, because it's really annoying putting so much in. but as long as you guys enjoy it, i'll keep doing it! and don't worry, i'll keep up the good work ; p

Sephirothxx- what do you expect me to do, quit or something?

Well there is SOMEWHAT of a reason that this chapter took so long to post. a reason i didn't mention earlier... IT'S 32F#GPAGES LONG! so with that said... on to the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 9:Confrontations with the Gods

"So this is Guadosalam. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say this is the Guado's home?" Ryan asked sarcastically.

"Yes. The home of the Guado, Maester Seymour, and the late Maester Jyscal." Yuna informed as they walked into the city that seemed to be part of a forest. All of the homes and shops were pretty much entangled in trees.

"Well, I'm not sure whether I like it or not." Ryan admitted as an elderly Guado approached the group.

"We have been expecting you, Lady Yuna." The Guado said in what the group could only assume was a happy voice for a Guado. "Welcome to Guadosalam. This way, my Lady. This way." At this he reached out for Yuna's hand, which Wakka and Ryan both grabbed before it got too close to Yuna.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Wakka said disapprovingly.

"Oh, I beg your pardon," The Guado said as he backed up a step and bowed, "I am called Tromell Guado. I am in the direct service of our leader, the great Seymour Guado. Lord Seymour has very important business with Lady Yuna."

"Business, with me?" Yuna repeated aloud. "What could it be?"

'I'd like to know that myself.' Matt thought as Tromell led them to Seymour's manor. The place was huge, with two levels, a giant staircase, and even a giant banquet hall filled with food. 'Guess you can afford the finer things in life when you're a Maester of Yevon.'

"I will go inform Lord Seymour. Please wait here." Tromell said as he bowed and left to find the Maester.

"Something's not right about this." Ryan muttered to Auron. "I'm not sure whether I'm just paranoid, or whether it's Seymour himself, but he's scheming something."

"I agree." Was all Auron offered.

"There's no temple here in Guadosalam, see?" Lulu said to Tidus. "Summoners usually just pass through on their way elsewhere." When she was done Tidus laughed. Lulu looked at him oddly. "What?"

"I didn't even ask a question and you're explaining things." Tidus said with a grin.

"You'd rather I say nothing, then?" Lulu questioned the teen.

"No, no!" Tidus said suddenly. "Maybe you finally believe I don't know anything about Spira."

"Hey, we don't either!" Andy said, referring to himself, Matt, and Ryan.

"Right, anyway. If you believe that, maybe you believe me about Zanarkand, too?" Tidus finished.

"Well… There are many things I do not know. Your Zanarkand is one of them." Lulu said quietly. "I suppose I can't say what I think either way. Still, be careful. You shouldn't tell other people."

"I know." Tidus' reply came like the reply of a little kid who was used to being lectured.

"I get the feeling he called us up here for more then just dinner." Said when Tidus started to approach him.

"What do you think, Auron?" Tidus asked, approaching the ancient guardian.

"Stay on your guard." Auron replied.

"Why? This guy's just a priest, right?" Tidus questioned.

"Idiot." Ryan and Andy muttered at nearly the same time.

"What?" Tidus complained.

"Those with power use that power. Maesters have power." Auron replied simply.

"Wait…" Tidus said, "You sure you don't have something against Yevon?"

"I lived a long time in Zanarkand."

After that Tidus decided to give up on getting anymore out of Auron, and switch to Kimahri. "Kimahri not like Maester Seymour." As soon as he finished his sentence Yuna panicked and hissed at him to be quiet.

After that he tried talking to Rikku, but all she would say was that the food was good. Almost right after that Tromell appeared. "Truly, it is good to have guests again. Since Lord Jyscal passed away, these halls have been too quiet."

"The death of Lord Jyscal was a great loss for all Spira." Yuna replied with more then a little sadness in her voice.

"Truly a great loss. But now a new leader, Lord Seymour, has come before us. Lord Seymour is the child of a Guado and a human." Tromell stated proudly. "He will be the tie the binds our two races together. But that is not all. Lord Seymour… he will surely become the shining star that lights the way for all the peoples of Spira."

Just as Tromell finished his sentence Seymour appeared. "That is enough Tromell. Must I always endure such praise?" Seymour questioned before turning to Yuna and her Guardians. "Welcome."

"You wanted to see me?" Yuna asked timidly.

"Please, make yourselves at home. There's no rush." Seymour replied, smiling back at the Summoner.

"Please keep this short. Yuna must rush." Auron said suddenly.

"Pardon me. It has been a long time since I have had guests. Lady Yuna, this way." Seymour said.

'Can't imagine why you don't have many visitors.' Ryan thought sarcastically as they entered a room that showed images of the dead, or so Seymour claimed. After getting a quick history lesson about Lady Yunalesca and her husband beating Sin for the first time, and seeing Tidus' Zanarkand, the group exited the room. When they exited the room Yuna walked around nervously, and then downed a glass of water in under two seconds, much to everyone's surprise.

"Wow, your face is beet red!" Rikku announced.

"He… he asked me to marry him." Yuna replied breathlessly.

"You serious?" Tidus asked in disbelief as Auron turned to face Seymour.

"Of course. Lady Yuna- no, all Summoners are charged with bringing peace to Spira. But this means more then just defeating Sin." Seymour said a little too calmly for Matt and Ryan. "She must ease the suffering of all Spira. She must be a leader for the people. I proposed to Lady Yuna as a Maester of Yevon."

"Spira is no playhouse." Auron said in the angriest voice any of them had ever heard him use. "A moments diversion may amuse the audience, but it changes nothing."

"Even so, the actors must play their parts." Seymour replied, again in a voice that was far to calm for Ryan and Matt. "Lady Yuna, there is no need to answer right away. Please, think it over."

"We will do so, then." Auron replied as he turned and started for the door. "We leave."

"Lady Yuna." Seymour said, stopping the group as it began to follow Auron's lead. "I await your favorable reply." There was a several seconds of silence as the group started to leave again. "Why are you still here, Sir?" Seymour asked suddenly, looking at Auron questioningly. Auron too looked puzzled by the question. "I beg your pardon, we Guado are keen to the scent of the Farplane."

Suddenly Tidus started to sniff Auron, and Matt, Ryan, and Andy laughed quietly as Auron shoved him away.

"Yuna, the high Summoner's daughter, Seymour, leader of the Guado. Married in the name of Yevon, overcoming the barriers of race. It would give Spira something cheery to talk about for a change." Lulu admitted outside.

"Sounds like just a passin' daydream, like Auron said." Wakka argued, obviously against it.

As the group continued to discuss the recent events amongst themselves Andy, Matt, and Ryan walked off to talk to themselves. "So what do you think about Seymour? Proposing to Yuna I mean." Ryan questioned to neither of his friends in particular.

"I think he's feeding us bullshit." Matt answered. "He's hiding something. Something he doesn't want anyone to know about."

"I think we all agree on that." Andy said.

"So that brings us to the real question. What is it that a Maester of Yevon would be hiding?" Ryan asked, voicing what all three were thinking. "I mean, he's supposed to be the leader of the Guado, and he's a leader of the people of Spira. When the leaders don't tell the people everything, they usually have a good reason. But it also usually ends up causing riots and revolts."

"And a lot of death, which means a lot of sendings for Yuna and all the other Summoners." Andy added. "We just don't know enough about Seymour to get any answers."

"Right." Matt agreed. "So rather then waste time wondering about that, let's try and figure out what Seymour meant when he asked Auron why he was still here."

"Yeah, he said Guado were keen to the scent of the Farplane. Isn't that were people go when they're dead?" Andy asked. "I mean that's what the sending is for. To send them to the afterlife so that they don't become fiends."

"Right, and Auron's a legendary guardian. If he were dead, there's no way he wouldn't get a sending, right? So what did he mean?" Ryan wondered aloud. "Damn, I hate these looping questions."

"Hey, there you three are!" Rikku said from behind them, causing them all to turn around. "Come on, we're heading to the Farplane!"

"What?" All three asked in unison.

"What? You've never heard of going to the Farplane before?" Rikku asked, confused by their confusion. "People go there all the time. The pyreflies react to people's memories of the dead, and then take the shape of the person. It's all just an illusion, that's all."

"Ohhhh." Ryan said as the group started to follow the overly energetic Al Bhed. "Interesting way of looking at it." As the four approached the double-red doors that a Guado had been blocking earlier the met up with the rest of the group.

"Hey, why you three always sneaking off like that, ya?" Wakka questioned.

Ryan shrugged. "If you think that was sneaking, then I pity you." Matt said, he and Ryan laughing at the comment.

"Right, you're the guys that are invisible, forgot." Wakka said with a sigh.

"Invisible?" Rikku asked, utterly baffled by the statement. Ryan and Matt just laughed more at her confusion. "Hey, come on! I wanna know what Wakka meant!"

"Later Rikku. It's a bit of a story." Ryan said with a grin. "Besides, I wouldn't want to bore Wakka with it again." Rikku just pouted as they went through the doors.

Almost as soon as they entered Andy saw light reflect off of something embedded in the wall around the next turn. Sure enough there was a snow white feather there. 'What the hell?' he wondered as he walked towards it, tripping over a treasure chest with 8 lightning marbles in it.

"Hey, you okay Andy?" Ryan called back when he heard Andy cursing.

"Yeah, be right there!" He called back. He quickly grabbed the feather and pulled. At first it wouldn't budge, so he pulled out one of his fist blades and started digging in the wall around the feather until it came out. "There we go." He muttered before he ran to catch up with the rest.

"What the hell is that?" Ryan asked in amazement of the giant, blue sphere that seemed to never end.

"That is the Farplane." Lulu informed.

"Well let's go." Ryan said with a shrug as he started towards what he assumed to be the entrance to the Farplane. He stopped when Tidus asked a question about dead people living on the Farplane, turning to listen to the answer.

"You thinking those funny thoughts again, ya? You'll see once we get there." Wakka replied as the group started towards the entrance.

"Hey, we're missing two people here…" Ryan said to Matt and Andy. He glanced around and saw Yuna, Wakka, Kimahri, and Lulu entering the Farplane. Tidus, Matt, and Andy were right by him, which left, "Rikku and Auron. Aren't you two coming?"

"I… do not belong there." Auron replied.

"You're scared!" Tidus said with a laugh.

"Searching the past to find the future… that is all that is there. I need it not. You'd better be going, I'm going to get supplies while you're all in there." Auron said as he stood up and headed back the way they'd just come in.

"Rikku, you're excuse?" Ryan questioned the ever-perky Al Bhed.

"You're not really going to see the dead, more like memories of them. People think of their relatives and the Pyreflies react to them. They take on the form of the dead person- an illusion, nothing else." Rikku replied. "Well, have fun!"

"Come on, what can seeing illusions do?" Andy questioned, and Ryan and Matt glanced at each other, grinning.

"Memories are nice, but that's all they are. I like to keep my memories inside." Rikku said as she sat down on the ledge of the stairwell.

"Guess she's made up her mind. Let's go." Ryan said, and the four of them entered the Farplane.

"What the?" Tidus asked when he entered the Farplane.

"It's amazing." Was all Ryan managed to come up with as he starred into the never-ending sea of yellow clouds, broken only by an island with waterfalls and beautiful flowers covering it. Overcoming his amazement of the Farplane's beauty, he glanced around and saw Kimahri standing by the entrance, watching Yuna; Yuna talking to some dude in long blue robes and a woman, Ryan could only assume them to be her parents; Wakka talking to a kid a little older then Tidus, apparently that was Chappu; and Lulu was standing alone, watching Wakka talk to the kid with a sad look in her eyes' and some kid dressed in all black, who was talking to a girl on the Farplane.

"So, think we know anyone here?" Matt questioned. "I mean we aren't from Spira after all."

"Dunno, why don't you go and think about someone." Ryan replied as he walked to the edge of the island and bent down. 'This place is amazing. It's like a totally different dimension.'

"Wow, that's a hell of a first step." Andy said as he and Matt walked over and stood next to Ryan.

'Fools.' The kid dressed in all black thought as he watched Ryan, Andy, and Matt out of the corner of his eyes. 'Well, the job's to get rid of'em, and what better way to do that then knock them into the Farplane itself.' He thought as he took a deep breath and relaxed his body.

He closed his eyes and dove deep into himself, looking for the flow of energy that led to his most powerful weapon. It wasn't deep this time, and he was thankful. Normally it'd take him several minutes to find it, but normally he was done before his opponent knew he was even there. But there was something different about these three. The aura they were giving off was normal at first glance, but to the assassin it was vastly different then the aura everyone else was giving off. Even the unsent he'd encountered didn't have the same aura as the three he'd been hired to kill.

He felt the moister in the air gather into a thin, and flexible thread that could be as strong and sharp as any sword if he wanted it to. He smiled to himself as it wrapped around his arms several times before attaching to the two pendulum points hidden up the sleeves of his shirt. He opened his eyes as soon as he'd completely formed the unbreakable thread he turned and started toward the entrance to the Farplane. At the entrance he glanced back, thinking again of his little sister. She appeared over behind Wakka, drawing the attention of everyone in the Farplane to that spot while one of his weapons slithered along the ground, like a snake chasing its pray.

'See ya later.' He thought as the thing shot up towards Ryan. His eyes widen in a mix of surprise and horror when a bubble of pitch-black pyreflies engulfed the three teens, dragging them into the Farplane effortlessly.

"Ryan, Matt, Andy!" Yuna and Lulu yelled while Wakka and Tidus glared at the assassin.

"You the one who attacked them, ya? You're gonna pay for that one brudda!" Wakka said as his blitzball soared threw the air at the kid who just smiled as it drew closer. Out of his left sleeve shot his second pendulum, cutting the oncoming blitzball to ribbons before it was within ten feet of him.

"Hey!" Tidus yelled as he drew the sword Wakka had given him and charged the kid, leading off with a diagonal cut from upper-right to lower-left.

The kid stepped back and let Tidus' sword bury itself into the ground with it's own momentum. Just before Tidus pulled it out he slammed his right foot down on it, spun on it and kicked the blitz ace across the face with a roundhouse kick. Without stopping his momentum he ducked under a swipe from Kimahri, and then jumped up impossibly high. With an amused smile he dropped a handful of smoke bombs onto the ground.

"You've amused me, so I'll let you live for now." He said as he landed in the haze that was causing mass confusion. "See you later everyone." And with those departing words he dashed through the entrance to the Farplane, completely un-phased by the smoke that prevented all vision. When he had exited the Farplane he found himself face to face with Rikku, the blonde Al Bhed grabbing him by his shirt collar.

"What's going on in there?" She demanded.

The assassin stopped, debating what he should do. He was sure he could kill her without any trouble, but he thought that'd be a waste. He could lie and say he didn't know and he was just as lost as her, but he decided to tell her the truth instead, "Three kids got surrounded by black pyreflies and pulled into the Farplane. Then some kid started a fight." He added before pulling out of her grip.

"Rikku, stop him!" Tidus yelled a few seconds later, jumping out of the smoke that was billowing out of the Farplane.

'Shit.' The kid thought as he turned away from the Farplane and started to run down the stretch back to Guadosalam. After two steps he stopped, noticing Auron walking towards him with his massive sword drawn and on his shoulder, and that his left hand was out of his jacket. The commotion behind him died down the instant the powerful guardian had appeared, and he took that as a bad thing. 'This could complicate things.'

"You've got some questions to answer." Auron said flatly, stopping less then five feet away from the assassin.

The kid sighed and chuckled. "The legendary guardian of high Summoner Braska. I thought you went back to fight her." He replied as he stepped onto the railing. Auron grunted, wondering how the kid had known that. "It's been a lot of fun everyone," He stated as the rest of the group of the Farplane, "but it would appear you've got enough problems already."

"Lord Jyscal!" several of the Guado in the area called out, pointing to the entrance to the Farplane.

"And that would be my cue to leave," The kid said, giving a quick bow before continuing, "so if you'll excuse me, I must be off." And with that he allowed himself to fall backwards, into the never-ending void below the Farplane.

'Damn.' Auron thought before turning to Yuna. "He does not belong here."

"Why?" Yuna questioned, stunned that someone so important would not be sent.

"Yuna, send him." Auron ordered, and Yuna nodded before turning and walking towards the former Maester of Yevon. As soon as everyone was watching Yuna he dropped to one knee, struggling to keep from being sent himself. The next handful of seconds passed by impossibly slow for the unsent, and he was grateful that it had ended so quickly. "We leave." He informed the others.

"But what about Matt, Andy, and Ryan?" Tidus demanded of the unsent guardian. "Are we supposed to leave them there?"

"The Farplane is not a place where the living are tolerated." Auron replied. "It would be best to forget them."

"But they were pulled in!" Tidus' declaration caused even ever-calm Auron to whirl around in surprise.

"Explain." He demanded simply.

"There were black pyreflies! Dozens of them, and they surrounded the three of them, and dragged them into the Farplane!" Tidus informed.

"Black pyreflies…" Auron muttered aloud to himself. 'But I've never heard of _black _pyreflies before. Unless-' His thoughts were interrupted by Tidus' yelling.

"You know something Auron! Spill it, what aren't you telling us?" He demanded, and Auron shook his head.

"Fine," he replied, "we'll wait for them for one day. If they're not back by then, there's no chance they'll return alive." With that grim statement he turned and headed to look for an inn.

"Way to be an optimist about it all." Tidus muttered before following the group back into the city.

888

Ryan opened his eyes slowly despite the dizzying pain throughout his body. For a few seconds he couldn't think clearly through the pain, but that problem vanished when he remembered falling off the edge of the land and into the Farplane. With a groan he lifted himself onto his hands and knees and looked around, expecting to see a great deal of pyreflies, or tortured souls, or the flowers he'd seen from the ledge earlier. Instead he found himself lying on a polished wood floor, in a large room, half of which was lined with two different kinds of training swords, and just as many training spears. The other half was lined with different types of fencing equipment, as far as Ryan could tell. But he didn't know much about fencing himself, and was simply guessing by the look of the swords and armor.

"So, you're awake." Someone from behind him said, causing Ryan to push down on the ground, launching himself forward and drawing his sword at the same time. "Interesting. So ready to fight are you?" The man asked. He had long silver hair that went down to his back, and he was wearing a snow-white kimono. His eyes were cold and calculating, and were completely silver where there should have been colored. "You shouldn't be so eager to die you know." He continued, taking step closer to Ryan. "After all, you're what, 16 years old, right Ryan?"

Ryan's eyes shot wide open at the mention of not only his name, but his age as well. "Who the hell are you?" Ryan asked, stepping back with each step the man made towards him.

The man grinned evilly. "What, you don't even recognize the person who wanted you to come here? After all," he continued to advance on Ryan until the teen was backed up against the wall, "I'm Lusniec."

"So what? I don't give a damn who you are, just tell me how to get out of" Ryan stopped in mid sentence as an overwhelming animosity washed over him. The pure hatred left him speechless, and he felt his sword drop out of his hands. 'Who the hell is this guy?' he wondered, beginning to sweat more then just a little as he reached down and picked up his sword.

"What's the matter? You were going to say something?" Lusniec said with a smug smile.

"I was going to ask that you tell me how to leave." Ryan managed to say with a significant amount of false courage. 'Who is this guy? All he's doing is standing there, and I fell like he's going to kill me for the fun of it. Then again, he just might.'

"How to leave? Oh, that's easy. All you have to do," Lusniec said, still smiling smugly, "is pass a little test for me."

"A test?" Ryan repeated doubtfully. "What kind of test?"

"A test to see how skilled you are with a sword of course. All you have to do is beat my friend here," Lusniec explained as someone a little shorter then Ryan and dressed completely in fencing gear stepped out of a shadow on the other side of the room, "and I'll let you go."

"That's all?" Ryan asked in confusion, thinking there was something more to the test than he was being told. "Just beat one person?"

"Oh, I think you'll find this fight harder then any fight you've experienced yet in Spira. Now show me." Lusniec said as the protected figure charged Ryan. "Show me how you fight."

'Damn it.' Ryan thought, barely dodging the first strike from his opponent. Rolling to the right of the thrust he brought his sword around at neck level, thinking he had caught his opponent off guard. Instead of the neck of the fighter his sword found only air. The fencer stepped back and dropped into the usual fencing stance. One hand behind his back, legs spread apart, facing the opponent with the shoulder and blade facing forward. 'Okay, so you're fast.' Ryan thought as he sheathed his sword.

'Battou Jutsu?' Lusniec wondered to himself, until Ryan pulled the sheath out of its holder as well. Lusniec smiled to himself. 'At least he's not as stupid as I first thought. Even so, this is a fight he can't win. I made sure of that.'

"Well, you're the challenger." Ryan pointed out as he dropped into the Battou Jutsu stance he'd used against Kimahri. "So why don't you lead?"

Without a word the fencer attacked, thrusting out towards Ryan with his sword. Ryan's katana flashed out faster then it had when he'd fought Kimahri, and it rode along his foe's blade, ripping up sparks. 'Weapon break, interesting way of using a Battou Jutsu. But why draw the sheath as well then?' Lusniec pondered as the two swordsmen leaned against each other in an attempt to unbalance the other. Without warning Ryan slammed one end of his sheath into his opponent's stomach, knocking him back several feet, and somewhat knocking the wind out of him.

Without a word he charged in, slashing straight down. He felt his sword connect with something solid, and was almost relieved when only the faceguard split. For a second the two stood, waiting for the mask to fall off. When it did Ryan gasped. "Billy." His mind raced back to the last time he'd fought Billy, in a park. He vividly recalled the pain Billy's practice saber had left every time he landed an attack. He also recalled putting Billy in a coma, which had lasted for more then six months. "So you finally woke up." Ryan growled. "You've got a lot of guts, coming in front of me again."

Without a word Billy charged in, his platinum blonde hair waving wildly as he did so, his ice blue eyes filled with a hatred that even Lusniec hadn't anticipated. He slashed downward, missing Ryan by a hair. He jumped forward and rolled back to his feet, dodging Ryan's counter in the process.

"Is this the limit of you skill?" Lusniec questioned mockingly. "What's the matter, afraid? You can't beat him like that, and you know it. So why are you holding back?"

Ryan ignored the taunting and watched Billy closely. 'Something's different. He's a lot sloppier in his attacks this time. And last time he wasn't so agile.' Ryan thought as he put his sheath back into its holder. 'Plus he's faster, and a lot more experienced then me.'

"Afraid of me Ryan?" Billy taunted, smiling evilly. "You know I'll kill you this time, don't you? Yes, I can see it in your eyes. You're envisioning it right now, even as we speak. Your mangled corpse, sprawled out for everyone to see. For _her _to" He stopped in mid-sentence, his words sticking in his throat due to the tremendous wave of murderous intent that washed over him.

"You know what Billy?" Ryan asked as he took a step forward towards the boy who was now regaining control of his body. "You're really starting to piss me off. You deserved what happen to you last time. Once I heard you were in a comma I felt bad, and to be honest, I still do feel like I should've held back. And I have been, ever since then, for the past two years."

"So what?" Billy demanded. "I'll just kill you know, and it won't matter."

"Wrong Billy." Ryan said with an evil grin that caused Billy to shake outwardly. "I've been holding back in this fight too. And I'd have kept holding back, but no. You had to go and bring her into this."

"Shut up and fight already. My god, you talk as much as an old man." Lusniec complained. He felt Ryan's anger wash over him and grinned, more then a little impressed. 'So he finally decides to stop playing around.'

"Shut up Ryan. You always did talk too much, and you always thought too much of yourself. So why don' you die, please?" Billy asked with a grin.

"I've got a better idea. Why don't _you _die?" Ryan asked as he charged towards Billy. He slashed at the kid's stomach, splitting the shirt but not Billy's intestines like he'd intended. Billy jumped back, landed and slashed at Ryan's stomach in return.

Lusniec laughed to himself. 'Yep, he's finally getting serious.' He decided quietly.

"What the hell?" Billy demanded of Ryan, who'd stopped his attack with the very tip of his sword. Before Ryan could say anything Billy pulled his sword away and struck again, and again, and again, each attack being knocked away by Ryan who seemed indifferent to the boy's offensive, his face a wall of hatred. "Why won't you die!" Billy screamed as he brought both his hands onto the hilt and raised the sword high above his head, preparing to cleave Ryan in two.

Ryan chuckled at the desperate move. Before Billy had the chance to swing he slashed out, opening the kid's stomach like it was made of butter. "Idiot." He muttered as Billy's blood sprayed out, covering him almost instantly.

Out of shock Billy dropped his sword and brought his hand down to his stomach, trying in vain to hold his intestines in. Lusniec laughed hysterically at the boy's stupidity. "Impressive. You're better then I thought you were." He said as Ryan turned to face him. "Only one problem."

"And that is?" Ryan demanded.

"You're not done." Lusniec said, pointing behind Ryan to where Billy's wounds were healing.

'What the hell?' Ryan thought as he spun around, expecting to feel his sword hit another sword. He did stop an attack, but it was not one he'd expected.

Rather then Billy's sword, the attack had been from a massive, blood red, clawed hand that was attached to Billy's now changing body. His white fencing uniform was ripped nearly to shreds by the many spikes that were now protruding out of his body from multiple locations. His forehead had armor looking plates coming off of it, and his eyes were blood red except for the small slit that was his pupil. His two legs had split in tow, and he now had four legs, each sporting three toes that ended in long, curved claws. Standing eight feet tall in all, it was the most horrifying thing Ryan had ever seen.

"Oh, that's just great." Ryan muttered as the new Billy turned towards him and roared. The thing launched a slow, but amazingly powerful overhand swing at Ryan, who jumped back and watched in horror as the area he had just been in burst into flames. 'What the hell? How did he do that?' Ryan wondered as he dodged another overhead attack from the slow monster. As soon as he landed he jumped up onto the wall while sheathing his sword. He bent his knees as he landed, and pushed off with all of his strength, spinning through the air towards the deformed Billy. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Kan Sen Tsumuji!" He yelled, as he closed the gap between the two of them far quicker then he'd expected to. He drew the sword as fast as he could, cutting one of Billy's arms in half up to the shoulder. 'Shit!' Ryan thought when his sword wouldn't come out of the armored joint.

With a roar of pain and triumph Billy swung his remaining hand at Ryan, hoping to crush him. At the last second Ryan jumped away, barely avoiding a fatal blow, but still having four deep cuts across his back to show for it. Struggling against the pain that was nearly unbearable, he looked around desperately. "What's the matter?" Lusniec asked mockingly as he watched Ryan look around for something to defend himself with.

Ryan began to panic. The only thing he could see that would be any use against the monster was his sword, which was stuck inside Billy's mangled shoulder. Other then that the only weapons he could see were either wooden or blunt fencing sabers. He closed his eyes for a second, taking a deep and calming breath. 'If I panic, I've got no chance. If I keep a clear head, at least I've got something.' He thought as he opened his eyes and ducked under an open palm thrust from Billy. He jumped to the side as fast as he could, but he still felt the flames burn his leg.

'Game over.' Lusniec thought as he watched Ryan crumble to the ground, clutching the burnt leg. 'Guess this was overkill after all.'

'Shit, shit, shit!' Ryan thought as he blinked back the tears of pain that were building in his eyes. 'A single flame did that? How hot are those things?'

"Give up." Lusniec said with a laugh. "You can't kill Billy anymore. He's far beyond you. Just let him kill you, it'll be much less painful then struggling will."

"Shut up!" Ryan yelled struggling to get his one good leg underneath him so he was in a crouching position. Billy roared again, and swung at the seemingly immobilized teen. Ryan pushed off with both of his hands and his one good leg, dodging enough of the attack to live, but still getting burnt by the flames. 'Damn it!' He thought as the tears he'd been fighting back burst out, further clouding his vision. 'I can't die here! I refuse to die here! I didn't come her just to die again!' Ryan thought, and suddenly everything froze, and everything but a sword on the nearby wall, Lusniec, and Billy turned black. 'What the hell?' He thought in confusion as he starred at the glowing sword on the wall right ahead of him.

'What?' Lusniec thought in horror as his sword began to react to something. 'Impossible, he'd have to have one of my feathers to…' His thoughts trailed off when he saw a glowing feather in Ryan's pocket. 'Impossible! He actually has it!'

'This is insane. What's going on?' Ryan wondered as he began to cast cure spells on himself.

"Take it." Lusniec said in a defeated voice. Ryan looked at him in confusion. "The sword, it's your sword now."

"What do you mean it's mine now?" Ryan demanded, standing gingerly on his burnt legs.

"Wind Cutter was my sword in the past. When I died, one of my feathers sealed all of its power so that Yu Yevon couldn't use it against the people of Spira." Lusniec explained venomously. "You have that feather, and that means that you're the new owner."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Ryan demanded.

"Wind Cutter is a holy sword forged by the four elemental gods, as a gift to me. Now it's yours to use. Take it, before this spell wears off and you're torn to shreds." Lusniec ordered.

'Why am I always being bossed around?' Ryan wondered as he limped over to the glowing sword on the wall. He picked it up, and drew it. At first the light that it gave off threatened to blind him, but died down after several seconds.

Lusniec could feel the sweat rolling down his face. 'Why did it react so strongly? He may have the feather to unlock it, but to have it shine so brightly when he first drew it… who is this kid?' he wondered as the darkness that had replaced everything disappeared rather suddenly. There was a loud crack as Billy's claw slammed into the empty spot that Ryan had occupied when the spell had begun. 'Even with Wind Cutter, such a powerful, warped foe shouldn't be easy for him to defeat. And after taking two hits from the flames caused by Billy's hatred of him, Ryan's body's in bad shape.'

Ryan ducked under a punch that went straight through the wall. 'Shit!' Ryan thought, jumping forward just in time to dodge the flames. Seeing a chance to strike he dashed in at Billy's unguarded stomach, slashing at it with his new sword. The second that it touched the skin of the monster there was a bright flash of white.

"Impossible!" Lusniec yelled in rage. "There's no way you're that good!" he yelled, but it didn't matter. Billy's upper body and lower body quickly became two different parts, despite Lusniec's protest. 'No way. There is no way he could have done that, but I saw it with my own eyes! The attack that the sword derives its name from! The Wind Cutter, and attack that uses dormant holy energy inside the wielder's body and releases it as an invisible blade that is nearly unstoppable. What is he?'

Ryan collapsed to the ground, holding himself up with his sword and one knee. 'What the hell?' he thought as he gasped for air. 'What happened? Why am I so tired?'

'Wait, he's exhausted himself from that one attack!' Lusniec thought. 'I think I get it Wind Cutter. He can't die here, so you saved him. I guess it's true.' Lusniec thought sadly. 'I've been replaced.' He walked over to Ryan and cast a powerful healing spell on the teen. "I guess you won now." Lusniec said, casting a glance back at the two halves of Billy's deformed body. "And it's decided that you're my successor, much as I hate to admit it." Lusniec stated. "So I'll give you a gift. Use it well, and protect everyone you can kid." Lusniec said cryptically.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Ryan demanded as everything started to go dark. "What gift?"

"Oh, you'll know when the time is right. Don't worry about that." Lusniec replied before Ryan fell unconscious.

888

"Ryan, Andy! Get your asses out here!" Matt yelled in frustration as he walked along a dirt path that made Mi'Ihen Highroad look like a short walk. 'Damn it, three hours and I've yet to see anything alive here. What's with this place?' Matt wondered as storm clouds rolled in at an alarming rate. "No, I hate the rain! I hate this place, where the hell am I!' He yelled at the clouds, which answered him with a bolt of lighting less then ten feet away from him. "Oh, shit!" Matt muttered as Ixion rose up out of the ground. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Quite the opposite actually." A voice from behind him said rather happily. Matt spun around, his axe flying into his hands in the process. "Ah, hot headed and ready to fight." The man said, his dark black hair contrasting sharply with his rather pale and pasty complexion. He wore blue sweatpants, and a yellow tank top. "I like that, Matt."

"What the hell? Who are you?" Matt demanded of the man, struggling not to comment on the man's horrible attire.

"Me, oh forgive me. It's been a long time since I met anyone new. My name is Dnortih." The man said with a bow, revealing a giant, double headed battle-axe strapped to his back. Matt was pretty sure that the thing gave Auron's sword a run for it's money as the biggest weapon he'd ever seen.

"Dnortih, no way!" Matt replied in shock. "You're one of the ones that Yu Yevon killed! How are you still on Spira?"

Dnortih laughed. "We're not on Spira right now." He explained as if it were no big deal.

"Oh yeah, that's great." Matt muttered. "As if just waking up in Spira, after being gunned down wasn't bad enough, now I'm not even there anymore. What the hell is with everyone, sending us to all these different worlds!" Matt demanded.

"Relax." Dnortih said with another laugh, drawing an annoyed glare from Matt. "I guess saying we aren't in Spira isn't a good way of putting it. Rather, we're in the Limbo that connects all of the worlds, like yours and Spira, together. You've seen a different part of this Limbo before, multiple times." Dnortih added.

"What?" Matt asked in confusion. "I've never been here before."

"Different part Matt, different." Dnortih repeated, putting a great deal of emphasis the word 'different'. "Every time you've met the Magus Sisters you've come here."

"Magus Sisters? Who the hell are the Magus Sisters?" Matt questioned.

Dnortih sighed. "Guess you can't be expected to know, being from a different world. The Magus Sisters are three sisters that gave their lives to become Fayth. They are the ones who brought you here."

"So that's who brought us here." Matt muttered.

"Yeah, they were known as the 'Three Flowers of the Gods' while they were alive." Dnortih added. "Anyway, I'm getting off subject. I've come here to see if you're ready to learn the truth about you."

"So I am one of the gods." Matt said slowly, to which Dnortih simply nodded. "And you're the god of thunder, at least that's the thunder Aeon. So if I'm meeting you, then I must be the successor of the thunder god." Matt finished.

"That would be correct. Don't tell me I've wasted my time in bringing you here." Dnortih said with a laugh as he took his double headed battle axe of his back and put it's head on the ground, resting his hands on the end of the long piece of wrapped wood that served as the hilt. "Tell me Matt, why do you think you're here?"

Matt starred at him blankly for a moment. "Why am I here?" Matt repeated out loud, beginning to pace as he started to think. "I guess I was brought to Spira to help kill Yu Yevon."

"Wrong." Dnortih said suddenly. Matt looked at him, completely lost. "Yu Yevon cannot be killed unless all four of the gods, plus Lusniec, are present. We are the only ones capable of killing him."

"So if we can't kill him, why are we here?" Matt questioned. "And if the four of you plus that Lusniec guy are the only ones who can kill him, why haven't you?"

"It's simple." Dnortih said quietly. "We no longer have the power to stop him, only to restrain his full power. He was brought down by the previous successors of our power, and because of that his power was greatly diminished. That was a year before Sin first appeared." Dnortih stated.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like where this is going?" Matt wondered aloud as the wind started to kick up.

"Trust me, you won't. Sin is Yu Yevon's armor. His power was so greatly diminished that he needed a host to exist in this world. For a thousand years we have restricted his power as best we could, and forced him to remain inside of Sin to exist. But now," Lusniec said, his eyes narrowing in shame, "now he's gained enough power to exist without Sin. No matter who it is that kills Sin this time, it won't return. And in that vacuum of power Yu Yevon will arise."

"That can't be good." Matt replied. "Sounds like Hitler all over again from the way you're telling me it."

Dnortih shook his head. "I don't know who this Hitler you're talking about is, but I guarantee that he would look like an angel compared to Yu Yevon. The Farplane will not be able to hold all of the dead. The souls of the sent, the unsent, and the living will live in fear and terror. The waters will run red with the blood of the dead. He will kill all living things with his mere presences." Dnortih finished.

Matt's eyes narrowed. "So you're giving up?" He asked simply, and Dnortih chuckled.

"No. He can still be stopped for a while. If we kill him again his power will diminish. It should buy us enough time to find the other gods." Dnortih informed. "If we fail, his power will likely spread to other worlds, such as your own. He will engulf all life everywhere in darkness and fear. To stop this, you're going to need to be stronger."

Matt smiled. "I get it now. You brought me here to teach me something." Matt stated more then asked.

Dnortih smiled. "I'm glad we understand each other." He said. "It won't be enough to kill Yevon, but it'll certainly help you."

"What is it?" Matt asked, earnestly curious as to what he was about to learn from a god.

"The ability to control, sense, and absorb lightning." Dnortih explained as he picked up his axe and held it out for Matt to take. "You should know," He said just before Matt grasped the weapon, "that this will make any pain you've felt seem like getting stuck with a needle. Indeed, all of the pain in your life is going to turn into electricity the instant you touch this axe. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Do I have a choice?" Matt asked. "Think about it. We've got to stop Yu Yevon; otherwise it'll be the apocalypse. I don't know if we can do it, I'll admit to that. But if we don't do everything in our power to stop it, then we're as bad as he is." Mat finished as he grabbed the axe. As soon as his skin touched it he could feel the electricity running through him, could feel his skin burning where it was exposed. He cried out as the pain ran through him, a scream more animalistic then human. And then it was gone, and he was smoking, his body covered in hundreds of burns.

"I didn't think you handle it so well." Dnortih said as he cast a powerful healing spell on Matt. "It normally takes a person several minutes to of pain to have Lightning Edge accept them."

"What… the hell?" Matt gasped out. "No human could… survive… several minutes of… that."

"But they did. I wonder why you didn't have to endure for so long. Perhaps it's your desire to help your friends, or maybe you resolve to stop Yevon from returning to cover the world in darkness."

"What about… manipulating lightning?" Matt asked as he used Lightning Edge for support to keep himself from falling to the ground.

"You needed Lightning Edge for it." Dnortih said, and held up a hand to halt Matt's obvious confusion. "To manipulate lightning will take time, practice and a great deal of energy. But without Lightning Edge I wouldn't matter, because you wouldn't be able to do it. Only those who have been accepted by Lightning Edge may control the raw power that is lightning."

"So I have to have Lightning Edge with me to manipulate Lightning?" Matt questioned.

"No. Once Lightning Edge has accepted you as my successor you'll be able to manipulate it at will, with enough practice. Until then, you'd better keep Lightning Edge with you at all times." Dnortih added almost as a side note. "Now that you've got that, perhaps we should start with finding the lightning within you."

"Lightning within me?" Matt repeated disbelievingly.

Dnortih nodded. "All mortals are made up of fire, ice, lighting, and water, in equal proportions. Gods like us are different. While humans are one-fourth fire, one fourth ice, one fourth lightning, and one fourth water, gods only have those elements in fifths."

"Meaning we have another element we're made up of as well." Matt noted, and Dnortih nodded.

"Yes, holy. But those are normal gods, or immortals if you will. Elementals gods like us; we too have only four elements. For us, we are missing water."

"Because we're gods of lightning, which is opposite water." Matt concluded, drawing a nod from Dnortih. "Alright, so how do I find the lightning within me?"

"Oh, you've already found it, in fact you've already used it once." Dnortih replied jokingly.

Matt thought about it, and wasn't sure what he meant. 'I've already used in once? What does that mean?' He sat down on the ground to think about it, and Lightning Edge dropped into his lap. 'Lightning Edge… the axe of the god of lightning, Dnortih. Lightning Edge… Lightning Edge!' He thought, slapping himself in the face for not noting the connection earlier. "In Luca, the Lightning Edge!"

"That's the one." Dnortih agreed. "That power, that is the power of the god of lightning, the raw destructive power that can cut through anything."

"But I can't do that whenever I want, it takes way too much energy." Matt pointed out.

"True, and it will always take a great deal of energy." Dnortih informed. "However, the only reason it left you so exhausted is because you don't have the stamina for it yet, and your body's not use to the massive amount of electricity flowing through it. Over time you'll build up your Stamina, and it won't be so exhausting for you to use it. Now, to manipulate lightning we're going to need to find the same pocket of energy you used for the Lightning Edge."

"The same pocket of energy?" Matt questioned.

"Pocket, place, line, whatever you want to call it. The point is that you have to find it. Do that now." Dnortih commanded.

Matt took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He tried to think of everything that'd gone through his head during the fight against the Machina at Luca. He could recall being very desperate, and very aware that he would die if he didn't do something. And he'd been angry that the Al Bhed would stoop so low to win a single game, and he'd been afraid of dying again. But he was angrier at himself for having let one of his friends get kidnapped while he was with her. The thought of the event stirred up the same anger he'd felt before. At first it was just anger, but slowly something else showed itself. It was barely perceivable at first, and had always been there when he'd been angry. 'That must be it.' He thought, focusing in on the feeling that he couldn't describe. Anger, and serenity, torture and bliss, that was the closest description he could give. As he followed it he discovered that it hadn't been very deep at all, that it had always been just below his normal feelings. He'd just never thought anything of it at first.

As Matt concentrated a warm feeling spread throughout him, the anger and tortured feeling being completely consumed by the serenity and bliss. The longer that he concentrated, the more serene he became, until it seemed like he was in the center of a storm. Around his electricity arced through the air, and Dnortih was saying something, but Matt couldn't hear him. He was the calm eye in a raging storm.

Suddenly his legs gave out, and he felt himself hit the cold earth. "What… the… hell… was… that?" He asked.

"That? That was a lot better then I thought you'd do, that's what it was. Most of the gods take days to learn to do that." Dnortih said with a smile. "But you did go a little overboard. Relax, you don't need to do anything for the next part of my lesson."

"Good." Matt muttered as he arranged himself in a sitting position.

"Well, now that you know how to bring the power out, all you need to learn to do is focus it. Like this." He said, holding his hand out to form an arrow made of pure lightning. Matt starred in amazement, drawing a laugh from Dnortih. "So how do you focus it like that, that's what you're thinking, right?" Matt nodded. "It's sort of like the  
Al Bhed's theory about the pyreflies on the Farplane. All you have to do is draw out your power, and then think of what you want to see."

"Speaking of pyreflies…" Matt started, remembering that they'd been pulled into the Farplane by black pyreflies rather then normal ones.

"Why were the ones that brought you here black?" Dnortih asked, and again Matt could only nod. "That's easy. The ones that brought you here are ancient, as old as any of the four elemental gods, probably older. They do not leave unless we require them to. They're kind of like our helpers you could say."

"That's cool I guess." Matt admitted.

"They're also the pyreflies from the previous successors. They aid us when we're instructing the next generation. But enough of that, it's time for you to go." Dnortih said in a much more pleasant tone, pulling Matt up with one hand. "Oh, one more thing before you go. As long as you're the wielder of my power, you'll be able to absorb any electric attack, including real lightning. You'll also be able to manipulate raw lightning the same way you manipulate your own lightning."

"Well that's good to know." Matt said as he shouldered Lightning Edge. "So, how do I get out of here?"

"That's what Raigeki is for." Dnortih said, nodding to the thunder unicorn that had been present the entire time. "He will give you a ride out, all you have to do is get on."

"Well… thanks." Matt said offered, and Dnortih shook his outstretched hand. "It's not often that a god talks to you, at least not where I'm from."

"Hey, anytime you need to talk to me, just think about me and I'll reply." Dnortih said with a laugh.

"Sorry, we've already got a psycho psychiatrist for the group, but I'll let you know if I have any question. And one more thing… when we go back to our own world, will I still be able to contact you?" Matt asked.

"I admit that I don't know." Dnortih replied. "But we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Until then, you've got a Summoner to protect, don't you?"

"Yeah." Matt said grimly as he got on Raigeki. As soon as he was on he fell into a deep sleep.

888

"Well isn't this a cheery place." Andy muttered to himself sarcastically. When he'd come around he'd found himself on a ledge that was jutting out over an open, rather larger, volcano. As soon as he'd noticed the volcano he'd begun to look for a way out, and he'd found it, a ledge down below his own. At first he'd tried to just walk down the volcano rather then make the difficult and dangerous climb, but the many random, deadly bursts of volcanic gasses, and the magma that was flowing down it was a pretty good deterrent. Not to mention the fact that even on the top of the volcano he couldn't see where it ended. So he'd begun the short, incredibly dangerous, incredibly hot climb down.

By the time he'd reached the ledge, his gloves were no longer brown, but were instead as black as they could possibly get, and they were smoking more then a little. After taking a few seconds rest he'd started down a path that led into the side of the volcano, and also, he hoped, out of it at the end. He soon discovered that he was wrong. Instead of leading out of the volcano, it led him to another ledge, just above the lava.

"Well, I'm glad you finally made it." Some said behind him, causing him to spin around, drawing his fist blades in the process. "Hey, relax. I'm not gonna kill you, unless I have to that is." A man with a red bandana, a red t-shirt that looked more then a little too tight for him, and shorts that looked just like Tidus' except they were red. The only thing he appeared to have on him that wasn't red were the white gloves he wore, and even they had red symbols that Andy couldn't make out on them.

"Who are you?" Andy demanded as sweat trickled down his brow.

"Me?" The guy asked with mock innocence. "I'm Vena, the Supreme God of Fire." He stated proudly.

'Is this guy crazy, or serious?' Andy wondered.

"Okay look, Dnortih and Lusniec have already done their job with your friends, and you're the only left here in Limbo. We don't have time to chitchat, so pay attention. And take these too." He added, taking off his gloves and throwing them to Andy. As soon as he caught them he felt a searing pain that lasted for, in Andy's mind, far too long. In reality had been only seven seconds of pain. "Okay, now that you've been accepted by The Twin Fire Starters we can get started."

"The Twin Fire Starters?" Andy repeated, looking at the gloves skeptically.

"The Twin Fire Starters are my personal gloves. You're the heir to the power of the god of fire kid. Now you're gonna need to start to learn how to use it. First you're gonna need to learn how to find it."

"What are you talking about?" Andy questioned, lost as to what the guy was murmuring about.

"Have you ever gotten really angry, or upset, or scared, and it was like someone else took over?" Andy nodded, remembering the incident against the Chocobo Eater. "That power is the power that you need to learn to control. You're the heir to my power, the power of the god of fire. As long as you have fire, you can do whatever you want. That's why I gave you those gloves."

"What does that mean?" Andy questioned, as he looked at the gloves, puzzled by the statement.

"They're alchemically enhanced. Put them on, and then snap your fingers." Vena instructed simply. Andy did as he was told, and was surprised to see a few sparks, and even a small flame erupt from his fingers, though only for a brief second. "See what I mean by 'that's why I gave you those gloves'? Now this time, when you see the fire, concentrate solely on it, just on making it into one shape. It doesn't matter what the shape is, just focus on the fire taking a shape." Vena nodded and Andy closed his eyes for a second. He pictured a burning 'X', snapped his fingers, and kept concentrating on a burning 'X' until he heard Vena speak again, "Okay, you can open your eyes."

Andy obeyed, and was met with a burning 'X' hovering over his fingers. "Wow, I did it." He said in disbelief.

"Yeah, now try and turn it into a… wall." Vena instructed. Andy closed his eyes, and concentrated on a burning wall. Andy closed his eyes, and concentrated on a burning wall. After a few seconds he felt heat down by his legs, and when he opened his eyes there was a wall of fire in between him and Vena. 'Wonder how strong it is.' Vena thought as he quietly slipped his fist blades on. He punched it once, and it started to split but held, until he punched it again. He had to stop himself from following all the way through, to keep from killing Andy. "Good job for your first defensive usage of fire. Now, let's try offensive. Use the fire to attack me."

'This guy's insane. He may live in a volcano, but if he gets hit with raw fire he'll be toast. Only… he is the god of fire, and he is dead, so what's the worst that could happen?' Andy wondered as an image of a phoenix slipped into his mind. At first he didn't want to, but slowly the thought of hitting him with a phoenix of raw fire won over. He focused on creating it first, which took several seconds. Once it was formed he spent a moment gazing at it in awe, but as soon as that moment had passed he had it charge Vena. The thing looked like a long streak of flames to him while it moved, not a phoenix. And he was amazed when Vena simply punched the thing, and it disappeared. "What the hell?" He wondered aloud.

"What? I'm a god, come on. You didn't think a beginner was gonna be able to beat me, did you?" Vena questioned sarcastically. "Anyway, there's another benefit from being the god of fire. Any fire spells you're hit with, will have the same effect as a healing spell of the same power. You could almost say you're a natural fire eater."

"Right…" Andy said, still looking at the guy oddly in the oppressive silence that followed. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Just keep practicing and you'll be fine." Vena said as he dipped his hand in the molten lava and pulled some out. "Now, for your ride out. Give me some room kid." Andy backed up as Vena started to focus on the lava. After a few seconds it started to twist and rearrange itself into a small figure that Vena threw into the lava. Before Andy could say anything, Ifrit jumped through the area between the two. "Well, do take care now. After going through all the trouble to teach you all that, it'd be a real shame for you to die. Then I'd have to teach someone else, and that's too much work."

"Right, I'll try not to die." Andy said as Ifrit picked him up in one arm and dove into the lava. Andy was asleep well before they hit.

888

"It's done." The assassin that had escaped Yuna and her guardians informed the cloaked figure across the candle lit table. "Where's my money?"

"Do you have proof that they're dead?" The figure demanded.

"Proof? Didn't you hear about the three guardians that fell into the Farplane?" The figure nodded. "That was them. Now give me my money."

"Fine. But don't leave the area just yet. I may have another job for you in the near future. Understood?" The boy nodded, and the man under the cloak smiled. "Well then, I suppose our business is at an end for the moment, isn't it, Seph of the Water?"

"I suppose so, Seymour Guado, Leader of the Guado, Maester of Yevon, murderer of the late Lord Jyscal, and the man responsible for the fiends in Luca recently." Seph replied in a bored tone.

"So you did figure it out." Seymour said as he removed his hood, revealing his face to the assassin for the first time since he'd hired him. "Good, very good."

"Shut up, give me my money, and get the hell out." Seph ordered dryly, kicking his feet up on the table and leaning back on his chair. Seymour smirked, placed a rather large bundle on the table, pulled his hood back up, and left the hidden room under Rin's Travel Agency, a room hidden from all but Seph and his clients. A few seconds after Seymour had left Seph picked up the bundle and dumped the gold pieces of money on the table. There was a lot more then his payment there, and Seph knew that meant that Seymour had another job in mind for him. "Wonderful." He muttered to himself

888

"Do you think they're really gone?" Tidus wondered aloud as the group prepared to leave the room Tromell had given them to rest in. It was a big room, big enough for the entire group, and it was well furnished. It had certainly been the best rest they'd had in weeks, but nobody really cared.

"I… don't know." Yuna admitted quietly. "If we could, I'd like to meet up with them again."

"Yeah." Tidus agreed.

"Are you ready?" Auron questioned the group. Everyone nodded silently, and Auron lead them all out of Seymour's mansion. As they turned to go to the entrance to the Thunder Plains Yuna and Tidus took off towards the entrance to the Farplane, Rikku close behind.

"What are they doing, ya?" Wakka wondered aloud as he watched the three reach the door and talk to the two Guado that had been stationed to keep everyone out since Matt, Andy, and Ryan had been knocked in.

"The dead go to the Farplane." Lulu said quietly. "If they truly did die, then that is where they would be."

"They didn't die." Auron said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Lulu and Wakka asked the master swordsman in unison.

"Later, when those three aren't around." Auron said, pointing to the three who were now coming back, depressed.

"They wouldn't let us in." Tidus informed.

"Then we leave." Auron informed, and the group walked on until they reached the Thunder Plains.

"Oh no… we're here!" Rikku whispered when reached the gloomy, raining, and fog filled space that had large towers sticking at certain lengths from each other. As if to confirm her fear of lightning a bolt struck nearby, and she jumped nearly four feet straight up.

"How are we supposed to cross that?" Tidus questioned as another bolt of lightning struck, causing Rikku to flinch in terror.

"See the lightning rod towers? The lightning is drawn to them… hopefully." Lulu informed.

"We head north, not too near and not too far from the towers, ya?" Wakka added.

"Which means we should avoid wide open areas." Lulu finished.

Another bolt of lightning struck, and Rikku cringed in fear again. "Umm…. I think I forgot something in Guadosalam!" She said nervously, starting back towards the Guado city.

"Nice knowing you." Auron said flatly as he started to walk towards the nearest lightning rod.

"Okay, okay! I'll go!" Rikku said as she ran to catch up to the group.

888

"Where the hell are we?" Ryan questioned groggily as he opened his eyes slowly. At first he thought he was in hell, or some part of it. The scenery would certainly fit. It was cold, raining, lightning was striking rather quickly in random place, and there was a mist covering large portions of the landscape. "Wonderful." He muttered, standing up slowly. Suddenly a massive suit of armor, easily three times his size, appeared. It had a sword that made Auron's look normal, and it was charging right for him. "Shit!" He yelled as he jumped to the side, expecting the massive sword to split the ground he'd just been standing on open. It didn't and when he looked up he understood why. Ifrit and Ixion had stopped the thing. Ifrit had grabbed the wrist of the hand with the sword, which prevented it from crushing Ryan, and Ixion had rammed its horn right through the armor. When the horn was removed the thing toppled over, pyreflies leaking out of the hole.

"My head is killing me." Matt muttered sleepily as he sat up from behind where Ryan had just been. "Where the hell are we?"

"I dunno." Ryan admitted. "I just got up too."

"I see… Andy, you lazy ass, get of my feet!" Matt yelled, punching Andy in the arm. "What on earth?"

"What?" Ryan asked, getting up and walking over towards them rather unsteadily.

"Well Ixion and Ifrit for one thing, is Yuna nearby?" Ryan shrugged and Matt went on. "What I was talking about is Andy's gloves. They're different, a lot different."

"Hey, you're right." Ryan agreed, noticing Andy wearing the Twin Fire Starters rather then the leather gloves he'd had on before.

"What the hell are you two doing?" Andy questioned the two through a yawn.

"Wondering how much longer we're gonna have to wait for you to get off you're your lazy ass and get moving." Matt answered immediately. He reached onto his back and un-strapped his old axe, almost surprised to see it. He put it back and glanced around for a few seconds before spotting Lightning Edge lying on the ground a few feet away. He reached over and grabbed it, finding it slightly lighter then what he'd remembered.

"Two axes, eh? Going to go duel wielding on us?" Ryan questioned when he noticed Matt holding Lightning Edge.

"If need be, yes. But probably not." Matt admitted. While it wasn't as heavy as he remembered, it was still rather heavy, even for a battle-axe. He looked over at Ryan and noticed that the wrapping on the handle of the sword was no longer black, but silver, the golden diamonds that guided the wrapping were now silver, and the black sheath now had white wings going along it's length. "What's with the new sword?"

Ryan shrugged. "What's with the new axe?" He countered.

"Me, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you." Matt said with a sigh as he sat down on the wet ground. "But I'll tell you anyway. It was a gift… from a god."

"And that's what my gloves were!" Andy added.

"And my sword was a gift from some dude who called himself Lusniec." Ryan added. Matt's eyes went wide at the name. "What?"

"Andy, the person that gave you your gloves, what was his name?" Matt questioned, ignoring Ryan's question.

"Vena… why? What haven't you told us?" Andy questioned.

"Vena… Lusniec… and Dnortih. Two of the gods Yu Yevon killed, and the Angel that warned them." Matt said quietly. "Dnortih was the god I talked to, the god of lightning. What about you guys?"

"Vena was most definitely the god of fire." Andy stated flatly. "The dude lived in a volcano. And he summoned Ifrit to give me a ride back here."

"And to watch over us apparently." Ryan said, pointing behind Andy to Ifrit who was sitting there doing nothing. "Lusniec didn't say anything about being a god, but he did say that Wind Cutter," Ryan said, holding the holy sword up, "was forged as a gift to him, by the four elemental gods."

"Then Lusniec must be the angel, 'cause Dnortih was the god of lightning. And he summoned Ixion to give me a ride back." Matt added, pointing a thumb at the electrically charged unicorn behind him. "Now that that's settled, maybe we should figure out where we are."

"You are on the Thunder Plains. And pardon me for not asking, but are you not guardians of Lady Yuna?" A cloaked figure questioned, coming up from behind a hill. "And if you are, then why aren't you guarding her?"

"Who are you?" Matt questioned, glaring at the cloaked figure. 'When did he get here? How much did he hear I wonder.'

"I'm simply someone with a desire to see Lady Yuna defeat Sin, and bring the next calm to Spira." The figure replied.

'I know that voice.' Andy thought, annoyed that he couldn't put a face to it. "So why do you want to know if we're Lady Yuna's guardians?"

"Because that would imply that Lady Yuna is nearby, and I wish to speak to her." The figure replied.

"Well you're out of luck then pal. We're not Lady Yuna's guardians." Andy replied, the right side of his mouth moving up slightly. "Or maybe I should say that you're out of luck, Maester Seymour."

"Ahhhhh, so you did notice." Seymour said as he pulled his cloak down. "It would appear that you're more observant then you let on, young guardian."

"Again with this guardian business. Who ever said we were Yuna's guardians?" Matt questioned.

"You were present with Lady Yuna and the rest of her guardians, were you not?"

"Tromell said that her friends were welcome to come too." Ryan countered.

"I see. Then why did you helped her in Djose Temple, through the cloisters there." Seymour questioned, raising an eyebrow curiously.

'So you've been following our movements. Sick bastard.' Matt thought with a chuckle. "I guess you've got us there. Oh well, 'Guardian of High Summoner Yuna' does have a nice ring to it. Now what do you really want?"

"I've heard that you are… not very skilled in combat." Seymour said slowly, choosing his words carefully. "So I'm curious as to why Lady Yuna would want any of you as guardians."

"You know, that's a good question…" Matt admitted. "Why does she want us as guardians? And where do you get off saying that we aren't skilled in combat?"

"I'm sorry. I repeat only what I've heard." Seymour said with superficial politeness and a bow. "If these rumors anger you, I might know of a way to abolish them."

"What are you suggesting, that we fight you? What happens if we accidentally kill you?" Andy questioned.

"Not me specifically, but my Aeon. I'll make sure that it does not kill you, and as long as Anima is out you won't be able to kill me. But just to be on the safe side I'll cast several defensive spells on myself." Seymour added.

"I don't see why not. It's not like we know where the Farplane is, or where Yuna was heading next for that matter." Ryan said with a sigh.

"I can tell you that, if you wish. She will soon head for Macalania Temple, in lake Macalania." Seymour said as he removed his cloak completely and threw it to one of the two Guado accompanying him. "Now enough with words. Show me your skill in battle."

"You certainly kept us waiting long enough." Matt replied as he picked up Lightning and put it on his shoulder until it he'd need it. 'I don't want to do anything I haven't done before, especially since I don't like Seymour much. And I've got the oddest feeling that we're going to fight him again, so I'd better save some tricks for the real thing. But if he's been having people watch him he probably knows about the Chidori, so I can use that.' Matt thought, hoping his friends would keep secret whatever they'd learned in Limbo.

Suddenly a chain shot through the ground, and when it came back up it pulled with it the mummified fish looking Aeon known as Anima. "Go Anima. Show them your pain!" Seymour cried as Anima began to gather energy in its single showing eye.

The three scattered the second they saw what was happening. After seeing it wipe out so many fiends in Luca it was a hard attack to forget, and they had no intention of getting hit by it if they could avoid it. Ryan quickly found himself the brunt of the assault, and he didn't like it. The energy kept hitting right behind him, and the explosions were causing him to lose his balance more and more with each step. Cursing he jumped forward and then changed direction and pushed off towards Anima as hard as he could.

'It can't be able to move well, all wrapped up in bandages like that. It's gotta be a distance fighter, so if we get in close it should be easier.' Ryan thought as he stopped a foot in front of the thing, dropping immediately into a Battou Jutsu stance and executing his attack. He heard Seymour laugh, and was shocked when the bandage didn't give at all. 'Or not.' He thought bitterly as a less powerful attack hit him, knocking him back through the air five feet, and another three on the ground before he could stop himself.

"Bastard." Matt muttered as he grabbed his old axe and chucked it at Anima as hard as he could. The axe ripped through the bandages, though it didn't go very deep.

"What are those things made of, steel?" Ryan questioned, not bothering to hide the fact that he hated things that had natural armor.

"No, they're too soft to be made out of steel. And they feel like cloth too. They're just too dense for us to really break through." Matt muttered, looking around for something to use against the powerful Aeon. He saw the Lightning Rod Towers, and they gave him an idea. "Ryan, get the tip of one of those towers onto Anima."

Ryan looked at him curiously, but the look on Matt's face left no room for questioning his plan. With a sigh he sheathed his sword and looked at the towers. 'How the hell am I supposed to get up one of those things? They're giant!' Before he could voice his question he felt a clawed hand wrap around him, and he panicked for a split second before he realized it was Ifrit. "Thanks for the lift!" he yelled just before Ifrit threw him, more gently then he'd expected, onto the top of the tower next to Anima.

'What in the name of Yevon are they planning?' Seymour wondered as he watched Ryan sail through the air and then land on the tower next to Anima. Before he could dwell on it anymore Ifrit and Ixion attacked the powerful Aeon, drawing his attention to the immediate problem.

In the blink of an eye both Aeons disappeared, and Seymour grinned with amusement. 'Bastard, that was pretty much our last trump card.' Matt thought as he watched Seymour turn back to watching Ryan. Cursing, Matt threw Lightning Edge into Anima, damaging it enough to draw a cry of pain from it. Seymour spun around, fury obvious in his eyes. Matt's hands flew through the three forms for the Chidori, and the ring of electricity formed around him.

"Anima, pain!" Seymour ordered. "Direct it all on the one without a weapon!"

'Shit!' Matt thought as he abandoned the attack to avoid almost certain death at the hands of the mighty attack. '_Once Lightning Edge has accepted you as my successor you'll be able to manipulate it at will.' _Dnortih's voice rang out in Matt's head. 'That's it!' He thought as he sensed a bolt of lightning heading towards the tower Ryan was on. He closed his eyes and found the power within him. He bent the path of the lightning before it even formed, and directed into a ball in his hand, the same way he focused the energy of the Chidori into a ball.

"Matt!" Ryan yelled suddenly, causing Matt to open his eyes just in time to see a massive wall of flames shooting up in front of him, and a ball of purple energy heading towards him. When the two connected there was an explosion, and he was knocked back to the ground. He managed to twist and land on his feet, charging the Aeon while the dust from the two forces colliding was still present.

"Seymour! Go. To. Hell!" He yelled as he jumped, landed on Lightning Edge, and jumped again, managing to make it to the massive Aeon's ribcage. As he reached the zenith of his jump a bolt of lightning struck his hand and molded into a ball. With a grin he shoved his fist through the dense bandages, easily penetrating that, and through the skin, all the way into the thing's stomach. With a roar of pain it launched a powerful attack at Matt, connecting and sending him reeling through the air for more then a dozen yards.

"Bastard!" Ryan yelled, jumping off the tower with his sword pointed down. It easily pierced the lightly armored head all the way up to the finger guard. Pulling it out he reached behind him and pulled out the top three feet of the lightning tower he'd been on and shoved it in the hole his sword had caused. Anima shook it's head violently, and Ryan was thrown back into the Lightning Rod Tower, and slid down the center to land roughly on the ground. "Shit that hurt." He moaned as he glanced at Anima who was now staring solely at him. 'Wonderful.'

Anima started charging up a rather powerful looking attack. As it leaned towards him to fire there was a loud crash, much louder then any the thunder had caused yet, and Anima jerked in pain as a thick bolt of lightning struck the lightning rod stuck in it's head.

'I see. That's what the rod was for. Cunning, much more intelligent then I expected them to be. And using their own Aeons as distractions. And that reckless charge by Matt, and the wall of fire by Andy. They'll be incredibly annoying soon.' Seymour thought bitterly as Anima faded into pyreflies. "Impressive. I suppose I must remember to argue against any rumors I hear of you three not being skilled in battle." Seymour said with another superficial bow. "Well I suppose I'll see you soon then. Until then, may the blessings of Yevon be upon you."

"Hey, where are Yuna and the others?" Matt asked before Seymour could turn to leave.

"I imagine they would be headed for the travel agency over there." He said, pointing in the direction of the only travel agency for miles. "Now if you'll excuse me I must take my leave."

"Well, I guess it's time to head to a travel agency. Wonder if it's another one of Rin's." Ryan muttered aloud as he sheathed Wind Cutter, while Matt retrieved Lightning Edge. "So, shall we?"

"Let's. Anything to sit down someplace dry for awhile." Matt muttered as he strapped his old axe to his back and shouldered Lightning Edge. Laughing, the three friends started towards the travel agency. The trip didn't take long, despite the random fiend battles, and the fact that Matt and Andy were incredibly tired from overexerting themselves in the fight against Anima. Less then 15 minutes had elapsed before they heard a familiar Al Bhed's voice, complaining, followed by Auron's normally emotionless voice that sounded rather annoyed. Smiling, they waited until they heard a door close before bounding over the top of the hill and sat down out behind the travel agency, waiting for their friends to leave so they could see the expressions on their faces when they came out.

* * *

(manical laughter) now i have to begin working on the next chapter! finally, a REAL showdown with seymour! please Read and Review everyone! it takes a long time to write these things, and it's always good to know more and more people are reading and enjoying it. anyway, maybe in this next chapter we'll see some rather... interesting developments. we'll see, so be warned... may be some fluff next time. CYA LATER! 


	10. Traitors

i'm back everyone! this chapter was aLOT of fun to write. i hope you all enjoy reading it, tho you wouldn't be here if you didnt. oh well, on to the fan replys!

Plum-Chan- Welcome! i'm glad you like my fic. it's always nice to from a new fan. and as for the sin thing, i didn't really think anyone would expect that, so i decided to work it intothe fic. seemed like a good idea... still does. well, keep reviewing!

Sephirothxx- i'm glad you liked the encounter with seymour on the thunder plains. i always wondered how easy it must've been for him to cross, being a 'peerless summoner' and all, and he DID have to cross. so what better place for ryan matt and andy to be sent back then right in his way? and i'm glad someone liked all the god/angel stuff, 'cause it was so boring to write.

(waiting for internet to start working again so he can read the next review.) i hate my internet... (five minutes later) hey, it's done! on to the next review!

labrat-seph- well, finally, a someone that likes to corect gramar! that's good, very good, so thank you. and as for the tidus/auron/ smelling thing, i actually had auron smelling tidus. but you're right, it does happen to most authors.

Da Ker MysTeR- well, that's not something i was expecting to hear, but welcome news none the less! i'm glad you like it so much you'd put it on your top ten list. and i'm glad you liked the encounters with the gods, because they were, as i said, boring for me to write... except ryan's, whose going to have several... problems... with lusniec later on in the story, and the following stories too. and i'm glad you like all the detail i put into my story, 'cause it isn't really planed (sweatdrop) well, moving along...

(waiting for internet to start working once more so he can see if there are anymore reviews) you know what? i'm not sure if it's norten, or if it's my computer, or both, but this sux. i have to do everything on in increments of five minutes. it's a plot i tell you, to keep me from updating!

Sejest Fanel- sorry if i spelled you name wrong. my internet's being a pain in the ass and taking, like, twenty minutes to load a page, and then it's usually just an error screen. in other words, i can't actually LOOK at your review, but i'm glad you like my story enough to review it! and as for updating my Legend of Dragoons story, i did update to chapter three. and you've got no room to talk, you've already read that chatper dude!

well now that that's done, on to the story!

* * *

Chapter 10:Traitors

The sound of a picture being taken snapped the three out of their light sleep. Followed quickly by another bolt of lightning, Rikku proceeded to yell at it.

"She's really weird at times…" Ryan whispered only loud enough for his friends to hear him over the thunder.

"Yeah." Matt agreed instantly before standing up slowly. "Well, I guess it's time for us to make our grand reappearance, eh?"

"Yeah, and I was really enjoying myself, sitting on the damp, cold ground." Andy added sarcastically. "Let's just go."

"Fire!" Lulu yelled so suddenly the three scattered on instinct. Looking in the direction of the group they moaned. Standing around them were two of the giant suits of armor that Ifrit and Ixion had taken down earlier.

"Damn, such a hassle." Matt muttered as he watched one swing at Auron. The guardian managed to block the attack, but the raw force behind it sent him flying backwards to land a good three feet away from them.

"We go in there and fight head on, we might be in trouble." Ryan whispered as he took off along the side of the battle, staying in the shadows the many spells Lulu was hurling at the fiends created. Once he noticed that Matt and Andy were following him he signaled from them to get behind the creatures. Just before he was behind the farthest to the right he heard Rikku yell, and turned just in time to see her sail into a nearby rock that had a cactus with eyes hammered into it. Before anyone could react the dark sky flashed once again as another lightning bolt sailed down towards the dazed Al Bhed…

And changed direction in mid flight, slamming into the armor Ryan was standing behind and sending it staggering back towards him several feet. Without thinking he jumped up as high as he could, more then a little surprised when he soared higher then the thing's head. Seeing a chance to kill the thing for good he drew his sword just before reaching the peak of his jump, and turned so he was parallel to the ground. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style," He started as he began his descent, raising his sword as far above his head as he could, and he stayed that was as he fell until he was right above the thing's head, "Ryu Tsui Sen!" He yelled as he slashed down as hard as he could and split the fiend in two down the center.

"Ryan?" Tidus yelled in disbelief.

"Later!" He said while jumping back to avoid being crushed by the iron giant closest to him. Turning he saw Andy charging the monster, his fist blades engulfed in flames that didn't seem to be hurting him. 'That's a new trick.'

Andy slammed into the thing's knee and jumped back after punching it only once. Before the thing had time to counter his attack a tornado of flames engulfed it. When the fires died down the wind blew the ashes away while Andy dropped to one knee from the exertion of controlling so much fire.

"Hey big guy!" Rikku yelled at the only remaining giant as she ran up to it for a second and jumped away, throwing a grenade at it in the process. "Thanks for the gift!" She said with a wink as the grenade exploded, blowing the thing back onto its back.

"See ya!" Tidus yelled as he and Kimahri jumped unto the thing, each shoving their weapon into its chest before jumping away to watch all three burst into pyreflies.

"Well that was fun." Ryan said as he and Matt walked over towards Andy who was just getting his second wind. Before any of them had realized what was going on Rikku, Yuna, Tidus, and Wakka were next to them, each of them shouting to have their questions heard over the thunder. "One at a time, one at a time!" Ryan yelled as loud as he could, barely being heard over the thunder and the questions.

When everyone had quieted down Yuna stepped forward. "What happened to you three?" She asked as Auron, Lulu, and Kimahri joined them, completing the ring around the three teens.

"Well, that's a good question actually…" Matt started, "and you probably wouldn't believe us if we told you. Hell, you've probably never heard of the people we met."

"Dnortih, god of thunder; Vena, god of Fire; and Lusniec, strongest of the Guardian Angels." Auron said quietly. Ryan, Matt, and Andy whirled around, utterly shocked that he knew all of the names of their predecessors. "I am wrong then?"

"No, but you're not telling us everything you know." Matt stated. "If you know that then what else do you know I wonder?" Auron smirked, but said nothing. "Guess you're in the same mood as always."

"Well, can't hurt to tell them, can it?" Ryan asked, suddenly becoming very curious as to whether or not Lusniec could hurt those who knew of him. The thought of the seemingly hateful angel attacking his friends sent chills down his spine.

"You okay?" Rikku asked, snapping Ryan out of his horrifying thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry." He lied, unable to shake the thoughts from his head. "Anyway, I dunno about either of you two, but I went through hell to get back here."

"What'd ya mean by that?" Matt asked.

Ryan sighed. "I had to fight… Billy." He said quietly. "Twice no less."

Matt and Andy stared at him in disbelief. "You fought Billy? How the hell did he end up in Spira? He was in a comma for what, the past six months?" Andy questioned.

"Who's Billy?" Tidus demanded.

"Billy was Ryan's rival where we're from. He was an arrogant piece of shit who thought way too much of himself, and way too little of nearly everyone else. Not to mention…." Matt started, but glanced at Ryan and stopped when he saw the dangerous look Ryan was giving him. "Well, anyway, they didn't like each other too much."

"And they got into a fight once too." Andy added. "Ryan won, but Billy's been in a comma ever since then."

"Right…" Tidus said, still not sure why that'd been hell for Ryan.

"Anyway, it wasn't that bad for me. I just talked to a god… as abnormal as that sounds." Matt said with a shrug.

"Same here, 'cept I did it in an active volcano." Andy concluded.

"That's all you did?" Tidus asked in disbelief. "There's gotta be more than that! Boring!"

"Well what did you do?" Ryan questioned.

"Ummmm… well… heh, guess you've got me there." Tidus said with a laugh. "Well, since that's settled I guess it's time to get moving again."

"Everyone… wait." Yuna said suddenly, causing everyone to turn to face her.

"What's up?" Wakka questioned.

"I have something to say." Yuna stated.

"Here?" Lulu asked in surprise.

"We're almost out of here! Let's go!" Rikku whinned.

"I have to say it now!" Yuna said defiantly.

"Over there." Auron said, pointing to the closest Lightning Rod Tower.

"I've decided to marry." Yuna declared after the group had reached the safety of the tower.

"I thought so." Lulu said almost sadly as a bolt of lightning struck and Rikku freaked out, grabbing Ryan's shirt and nearly pulling him to the ground in her fear.

"B-but why? Why'd you change your mind?" Wakka questioned the young Summoner.

Yuna hesitated for a second. "For Spira's future… and Yevon's unity. I thought it would be the best thing to do." She replied, and even she sounded sad about it.

"That's not good enough." Auron said, surprising everyone.

"He's right. Don't live for everyone but yourself Yuna." Ryan added.

"Wait is it… is it because of Lord Jyscal?" Lulu questioned.

"Hey, that sphere!" Tidus said suddenly.

"Sphere? What sphere?" Andy questioned aloud.

"Show me." Auron demanded, taking a step towards Yuna.

"I can't." Yuna said, stepping back from the old guardian. "I must speak to Maester Seymour first. I'm truly sorry but this is… it is a personal matter." She clarified.

"You're kidding, ya?" Wakka asked in disbelief.

"As you wish." Auron said, walking back to where he'd been standing before.

"I'm sorry." Yuna said quietly.

"Just one thing." Auron said, turning back toward Yuna.

"I won't quit my pilgrimage." Yuna stated firmly.

"Then it is… fine." Auron said.

"That's it? We don't have anything else we can say?" Ryan asked in disbelief. "Come on Yuna, you don't want to marry that creep."

"Hey, he's a Maester of Yevon, ya? You'll show him some more respect, got it?" Wakka demanded. Ryan rolled his eyes, but stayed silent.

"As long as she is willing to face Sin… everything else is her concern. That is a Summoner's privilege. As long as she journeys."

"Jeez, you can't just talk to him? I mean, marrying the guys is going a bit far, especially since you obviously don't want to." Matt said from his position just outside of the tower's protective covering.

"I don't. But I think it's the right thing to do." Yuna stated.

"Yunie…" Rikku started, stepping towards the Summoner. Another bolt of lightning landed nearby, spraying Matt with dirt, and she looked up at the sky, "Quiet," she yelled before turning back to Yuna, "I wish we could help somehow, some way!" She complained.

"It's okay… I'll be fine." Yuna replied with a sad smile.

'Not with that freak you won't.' Matt thought bitterly, but he kept his tongue in check, knowing how blindly Wakka followed Yevon.

"Next we go to Macalania Temple. Yuna can talk with Seymour there. We guardians will wait until they're done, and then plan our next move. Understood?" Auron asked, and everyone nodded grimly.

It didn't take the newly reunited group long to get out of the Thunder Plains, for which Rikku was incredibly happy, and into a forest that Lulu told them was Macalania Woods. Compared to the storm outside in the Thunder Plains, and the damp, oppressing feeling of sorrow that was the atmosphere of the Thunder Plains, the tall, quiet, welcoming trees of the forest were a welcomed sight by the entire group.

"You're worried about Yuna." Auron said to Tidus, but Matt and Ryan also stopped to face him.

"Is there any reason we shouldn't be?" Matt questioned.

"Yeah, what's she thinking?" Tidus added.

"The simplest answer would be… in exchange for agreeing to marry him… she hopes to negotiate with Seymour." Auron replied.

"Negotiate about what?" Ryan questioned.

"I wonder." Auron replied, ignoring the question.

"What, all by herself?" Tidus demanded.

"She's strong, but Seymour's the better negotiator." Auron said finally.

"Because of Anima… or because he's more experienced?" Matt inquired.

"Anima is one reason… but he is also more experienced." Auron admitted.

"Well don't worry about Anima." Ryan said with a grin. "We've beaten it once before, we'll beat it again." He said drawing a grin from Matt and confused looks from Auron and Tidus.

"When did this happen?"

"Well we didn't wanna bring it up because Wakka's so pro-Yevon, but we met Seymour on the Thunder Plains. He wanted to see how strong we were, so he summoned Anima and had us fight it. We kicked its ass." Matt explained.

"I see." Auron said. "But Yuna wants it this way."

"Argh! I don't get it, doesn't she trust us?" Tidus complained.

"I doubt it's that. I think that whatever she's planning is dangerous, and she doesn't want to have us get involved if she can prevent it." Ryan said quietly. "At least, that's the kind of thing that I would expect Yuna to do."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Tidus complained. "But that makes me worry even more. She could just tell us."

"That's the way she is." Auron replied. "She's naïve, serious to a fault, and doesn't ask for help."

"If you take away the naïve thing, that sounds a lot like you Auron." Ryan said quietly to which Auron grunted.

"Yuna's easy to read," Auron said, and everyone there nodded, "but hard to guard. Stay by her, always." The last part was clearly directed towards Tidus.

"We'd better get back to the rest of the group. They're waiting for us." Ryan observed, pointing to the rest who were sitting around at the top of the root like thing they were walking along.

"Slowpokes!" Rikku complained in her normal, happy voice that had left during their brief visit to the Thunder Plains.

"Sorry." Tidus replied with a chuckle. "Yuna, let's go." He said, and the group started off. The group soon found that the fiends in the woods were much more difficult then the ones outside on the Thunder Plains. Particularly the three headed chimeras, which had the habit of using an attack that almost always seemed to knock one of them out before going out itself.

After one battle where Yuna and Ryan had both been caught by the attack the group was recovering when Barthello came running down the path towards them, frantically looking around. "Hey! You, have you seen Dona?" He gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"Dona? Can't say that I have." Tidus replied, apparently speaking for the whole group.

"What's up?" Wakka asked.

"We got separated on our way here!" Barthello growled, punching his fist into his hand. "Damn it all! I've got to find her!"

"Calm down." Auron ordered.

"But if anything happens to her…" Barthello shuddered, apparently thinking of the worst-case scenario.

"Running around in a panic isn't going to help." Auron informed Barthello who seemed to calm down slightly. "Right now you have to keep your cool, and search."

"But-" Barthello began, but Auron cut him off.

"Guard you emotions, then guard your Summoner." Auron said calmly, and the words got through completely this time as Barthello visibly calmed down.

"You're right." Barthello said in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Shall we search?" Auron questioned, but Barthello shook his head.

"No, I've taken up enough of your time. Thank you Sir Auron." He said before bowing and running off. At first Rikku started to follow him, but stopped when Wakka called out to her.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to wish him good luck." Rikku replied simply. With that done they moved on until Auron spoke up again.

"Wait. It is here… somewhere." He said before he pulled out his massive sword.

"What is?" Tidus questioned.

"Something you should see." Was all Auron said before he started to hack away at the trees to clear a path for the rest of the group. The progress was startlingly fast, especially when Matt started to chop at them as well. Eventually they found a path that wasn't overgrown, leading to a pool of water that didn't ripple even in the gentle breeze that reached the area.

"This place… its just water, isn't it?" Tidus questioned.

"This is what sphere are made of. It absorbs and preserves peoples' memories." Auron corrected. As soon as he finished a large, aqua green, semi-transparent, jelly-like sphere rose up out of the pool. "Fiends are also attracted to these places." He said before the thing changed shape from a sphere to a cylinder and went to smash down on Kimahri who managed to jump out of the way.

"Wonderful Auron. What the hell is this thing anyway?" Matt questioned as he drove Lightning Edge as deep into it as he could, doing nearly no damage to the blob.

"I don't know. It wasn't here when I last visited this spot." Auron admitted, driving his sword through the things center. Rather then hurt it the thing pulled itself back together where his sword had already passed through it, doing no damage at all.

As a tentacle shot out to hit Auron Lulu decided to intervene. "Watera!" She yelled, the spell slamming into the tentacle and blowing it to pieces. Although it reformed quickly, the spell had given Auron enough time to escape harm for the time being. Indeed the thing seemed faster after the spell, rather then weaker.

And in reply to Lulu's Watera spell it returned the favor, casting it's own water spell on the black mage and knocking her back a short distance. "Thundera!" Matt yelled, the lightning causing the thing to retreat away from the group. Then it glowed and came back into the battle.

"What was with that glow?" Ryan wondered as he attacked the thing, dealing nearly no damage. In return Ryan felt a bolt of electricity hit him in the back. When the pain stopped shooting through his body he cast a healing spell on himself and saw Lulu cast a Watera spell on the blob, driving it away again. 'Now it makes sense.' Ryan thought as he watched it glow again before returning to battle.

"Go to hell!" Matt yelled as he slammed his axe into the blob's side, again doing no damage. In return he felt an ice cold pain shoot through his left shoulder, followed by the sensation of warmth running down that arm. He knew that something had gone through his shoulder before he looked, but he still cried out in horror when he saw an icicle more then a foot long protruding from his shoulder.

"Shit!" Ryan yelled as he ran over to Matt. "Calm down man. Calm down." He said in as calm a voice as he could manage. After several tense seconds Matt relaxed. "This is gonna hurt like hell dude." He warned as he put his left hand on the blunt side of the icicle sticking out behind Matt.

"What are you gonna do?" Matt whispered, straining to keep from crying out in pain.

"It's a puncture wound Matt. Before we use Magic to heal you, we have to…" Ryan trailed off and Matt chuckled nervously.

"You've gotta get it out of me first, right?" Ryan nodded grimly. "Just don't let me bleed to death if you can't stop it." Matt said in as close to a joking voice as he could manage in his situation.

"Right." Ryan said as he took a deep breath. "On three, okay?" Matt nodded. "One. Two. Three!" Ryan shouted, pushing forward as hard as he could with his left hand and holding Matt's shoulder still with his right. The thing came out, Matt screamed in pain, and Ryan froze for a second at all the blood that sprayed out of the wound. "Cura!" He whispered, willing the magic into the ruined shoulder. At first it didn't seem to work, but after a handful of torturous seconds the blood flow began to lessen, until it stopped completely. "Cura." He whispered again, and watched in relief as the hole began to knit itself back together. Several minutes later he was jerked back to the fight when a blizzard spell nearly impaled him. Had Matt not kicked him in the stomach rather suddenly he would've been dead, instantly. "Damn it!" He muttered angrily as he rolled along the ground, trying to get air back into his lungs that Matt had forcibly emptied.

"Fira Fury!" Lulu yelled, casting twelve fire spells in the fiend's direction. The gasp she made a few seconds later told Matt and Ryan that something was out of place, even before they looked and gasped themselves. All twelve of the flames were suspended in mid-air.

With a grin Andy snapped his fingers, another, much smaller, flame appearing over his hand. Instantly the twelve Lulu had created flew over to merge with his, much to the amazement of everyone there. "I summon you, Suzaku!' He yelled, throwing the ball of fire, now bigger then his head, into the air. For a second it hung there, doing nothing. After a few more seconds of doing nothing it shot up at an amazing speed, changing into a giant bird made of fire as it did.

"Suzaku, god of flames." Ryan muttered in awe as he watched Suzaku finish its transformation. When it was finished it let out a cry before charging the blob, driving itself halfway through the fiends jello like surface before exploding, instantly disintegrating the monster. 'Andy, you didn't just talk to that god did you?'

"What the hell was that?" Tidus demanded as he sat down. "And why didn't you use it earlier?" As if it was his reply Andy passed out and collapsed onto the ground, completely drained of all his energy.

"Well that's probably not good." Ryan muttered, sitting down on the ground himself.

Auron walked over towards the remains of the fallen monster and picked something up. After wiping it off he turned around and threw it to Tidus.

"Whoa, this is old!" Wakka stated after looking at the object Auron had thrown. "Don't know if you can play it back."

"What is it?" Ryan asked, struggling to his feet and walking over towards the group.

"A sphere. Jecht left it here ten years ago. Play it back." Auron ordered, and Tidus obeyed as Ryan walked over to see how Andy was doing.

"Did it work?" He muttered as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Yeah, it worked alright. Mind explaining why you're summoning a phoenix?" Ryan questioned. "They are ancient gods of fire too you know."

Andy shrugged. "Maybe that's why it was a phoenix?" He asked.

"But the god of the phoenix, Suzaku?" Ryan asked in disbelief. "That's a pretty large stretch of the imagination Andy."

"Well believe it or not, it's your choice." Andy said before looking at Ryan oddly as a healing spell started to restore his energy. "Hey, if I've got a connection to fire, and Matt's got a connection to lightning, what's your connection to?"

Ryan shrugged before pulling Andy to his feet. "I dunno. It very well could be I don't have one, as much as that sucks. After all, I'm just an angel, not a god like you two, remember?"

"Right, 'just an angel' my ass. You've must have some special talent. I doubt you'd have been chosen if there wasn't something similar between you and Lusniec." Andy stated, and Ryan remained silent. That same question had been in the back of his mind since he'd gotten back to Spira, but he'd never been able to pin it down. And here Andy was, hitting the nail on the head.

"You've got a good point Andy." Ryan admitted after Matt had joined him. "What is it about me that caused Lusniec to choose me as his successor."

"Worry about things you can't answer again?" Matt questioned sarcastically. "Give it up, some things you just aren't meant to know."

"Maybe." Ryan admitted, but the thought lingered until Wakka hit Andy with his blitzball, calling for them to catch up or be left behind. "Oh well, guess the time to think about that's over isn't it?"

"Looks that way." Andy agreed before the entire group started off. Two days later found them standing in front of another of Rin's Travel Agencies.

"Well these are conveniently placed around the world." Matt noted, thankful to be out of the woods. As they got closer Tidus noticed Clasko standing in front of an armored Chocobo, and he turned towards them as they approached.

"Hi there. Well would you look at this? They always leave me behind." Clasko complained. Then the Chocobo squawked at him and he turned to face it for a few seconds before smiling and saying, "Oh, you want me to scratch you?" He questioned, and sure enough he was right. As soon as he started scratching the Chocobo it purred like a kitten. "There. Good boy!"

"How'd you know what it wanted?" Tidus questioned the Chocobo Knight.

"I've always been able to tell how Chocobo feel. Maybe I'd make a better Chocobo breeder then Chocobo Knight, huh? Which job do you see me doing?" He questioned the group.

"Chocobo Knight." Tidus confirmed.

"I dunno about that." Ryan said drawing everyone's gaze. He sighed, "Well, no offense meant, but you don't seem like the kind of guy that's very good at fighting. Maybe you'd be better as a breeder, if only a breeder for the Chocobo Knights."

"Maybe. I'll have to think about it. Hey" Clasko started to say something else but was cut short when an arrow burst out of the window of the nearby agency.

"Wonderful." Matt said with a sigh. "We finally get out of the woods, and then someone starts causing trouble at the inn. When will it ever stop?" Before anyone could answer the rhetorical question several more arrows, along with someone who was in a lot of pain, came flying out the shattered remains of the window, covering the snow that was on the ground in blood.

"That can't be good." Ryan muttered as he ran over to the man lying on the ground, stifling the urge to scream. "Hey, hang on. We're gonna help you out." Ryan whispered calmly as Yuna appeared next to him.

"I've got this, go help the others." She said. Ryan nodded and headed to help his friends who were entering the agency.

"Oh my god!" Rikku gasped when she saw the interior. Blood was everywhere, tables and chairs were upturned and arrow filled, and the occupants were constantly groaning in pain.

"Wha? They wouldn't givsh me anymore 'ta drink." A man dressed in black, with a black longbow and rather large quiver of arrows, said with a hiccup.

"You did this?" Auron questioned.

"Yesh. Who wanst 'ta know?" The man demanded in his slurred speech, wobbling his way towards the group. "Hey wait a sechond. I recococococ…" He stopped, unable to say the word.

"Recognize?" Ryan asked in an annoyed voice.

"Yesh, shat's the word I was looking fer!" The man said excitedly. "Recognish. I recognish you three!" He said pointing from Andy, to Matt, and finally to Ryan. "You three ish supposh to be in 'da Farplane right now. Guessh Seph messhed up."

"Sorry, we're not that easy to get rid of." Matt said with a grin as the guy picked up his bow. 'Is he serious? He can't even talk right, and he's gonna fight us?'

"Well I'll have to correct shat now won'sh I?" The man asked, his eyes suddenly narrowing and losing the drunken glare they'd held throughout the conversation. "Go to hell!" As if on cue there was a snap, and a wall of fire shot up in front of the group, incinerating the arrow that had been heading towards them. 'So that's the fire kid.' The man thought as he turned, following Matt and firing while he was in mid-air and unable to dodge.

Without thinking Ryan put his finger behind the finger guard of his sword, twisted his body away from Matt, and then spun back around, launching the sword into the arrow just enough to make it spin and slap into Matt's chest with the feathered end first. 'Did he plan that?' Auron wondered until an arrow dug into his left shoulder. He stopped his running, turned towards the man and glared. The man trembled visibly under the stern master's gaze, but continued to fire on Auron's comrades.

"Sir Auron!" Yuna cried, coming into the inn to see the unsent bleeding profusely, but seemingly unaffected by the arrow in his left shoulder. The man in black smiled evilly, turned towards Yuna, and fired three arrows at the same time. Screaming, Yuna ducked and twisted, trying to present as little a target for the arrows as possible.

There was the sound of two people sliding to a stop, a grunt, and the sound of metal on metal. Yuna opened her eyes and looked back to see Ryan, Rikku and Tidus standing in front of her, with two arrows at their feet, and the third nowhere to be seen. "You okay Yunie?" Rikku asked, turning around and kneeling down to check on the Summoner.

"Turn your back on me and die!" The man yelled, launching over a dozen arrows at once. There was a sharp crack as two bolts of thunder hit the first two arrows, then branched out and destroyed the others. 'Who are these people?' The assassin wondered as he turned to see Lulu smirking, and Matt grinning with lightning arching around his hands.

"Give it up pal, you can't beat us." Andy said, snapping with both fingers at the same time, causing to flames to appear and begin to move slowly towards the man.

"What a pain." The man muttered, grabbing three-dozen arrows and directing them all towards Yuna, Tidus, Rikku, and Ryan who had now retrieved his sword. "Sorry, but this is my job. Nothing personal." He said as he fired at them.

'Shit!' Ryan thought, panicking rising inside of him. Fire and lightning hit some of them, but this time the spells didn't spread to the others like they had before, leaving two and a half dozen arrows still flying at them from across the room. He moved so that Rikku and Yuna were shielded behind Tidus and himself. Much to his surprise everything in the room slowed down until the arrows were moving towards him no faster then a crawl.

:Shall I lend you a hand: a voice in his head asked. :Relax. And let me show you how to use that sword.: The voice demanded in a rather annoyed voice.

'Who are you?' Ryan thought to himself. Suddenly the world went from slow motion to completely black. Save the man in the snow-white kimono with long silver hair. "Lusniec?" He cried out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass, you incompetent moron." Lusniec replied in the same annoyed tone. "Yuna can't die here, and if you die it'll be on my head. So instead I'm giving you two options." He said holding up one finger. "The first is I take over, kill the guy, and then let you take control again. The second," He put up the next finger on his hand, "is that I teach you how to make a shield with your sword."

"A shield?" Ryan repeated in disbelief.

"A shield." Lusniec confirmed, a sword materializing out of thin air.

"This I've got to see." Ryan said with a nervous chuckle.

"As you wish." Without any hesitation he stepped back until Ryan was out of harm's way and drew his sword so fast that Ryan could barely see the after image, none the less the real blade. "Attack me." He ordered as Ryan watched the after image reach the end of its movements and saw Lusniec had already sheathed his sword.

Nervously Ryan swung his sword down at Lusniec. In mid-air it stopped, hitting something rather dense, and then bounced back over his head, knocking him off balance. "The shield I assume?" Ryan questioned, and Lusniec nodded. "Okay, but how did you actually make the shield?"

Lusniec grinned. "Always asking questions. It's simple," Lusniec said as the sword disappeared, "all you have to do is find the power that you used against Billy."

"What power?" Ryan questioned. "I used some special power against Billy?"

Lusniec nodded and sighed. "I guess it's not surprising that you don't remember. It's hard to notice such small things in the heat of battle. Okay, listen up. You've got my power, which means that you can use, create, and manipulate holy powers at will." Ryan smiled and Lusniec sneered at him as he continued, "However it takes up a great amount of energy to do it, so only do it when you have to until you've built up more stamina. However, in situations where you've got no other choice, you'll need to be able to bring that power up without thinking, like you did when you used the Wind Cutter."

"Wind Cutter?" Ryan repeated curiously.

"Shut up and listen!" Lusniec yelled. "Find the reason you were chosen as the heir to the power of the ultimate guardian angel and you'll find what you need to bring out that power."

"The desire to protect those around me?" Ryan questioned as Lusniec turned to walk away. As soon as he heard the words Lusniec stopped and turned back.

"Good." He said simply. "Now all you have to do is concentrate on that, and draw your sword as fast as you can, which will be much faster then it used to be."

Ryan nodded. "So I just draw my sword. That's it?"

"It's not too complicated for you is it?" Lusniec asked dryly. "Look, just try it, we'll see how much practice you need."

Ryan nodded, sheathed his sword, and drew it as fast as he could. To his surprise the glow he'd seen when he'd first drew it returned. There was a flash that lasted only a second, and then was gone. Blinking the dots out of his vision he looked at Lusniec, whose eyes had gone completely white as he stared at Ryan.

"Something wrong?" Ryan questioned.

'Impressive strength for his first time using it.' Lusniec thought to himself, ignoring the question Ryan had presented, and focusing on the half bubble that had appeared around Ryan, who was oblivious to it's presence. "Good, you're beginning to understand your power. I don't plan to do this again if I don't have to, so deal with the problem of learning to use your power in different ways on your own." Lusniec ordered as two silver wings appeared on his back and began to lift him gently into the darkness.

"Hey, what's this called?" Ryan yelled. Lusniec paused in his flight, thinking about what he'd called the shield when he'd first created it. He smiled when he remembered.

"It's called the Shield of Hope!" He yelled back before disappearing into the fading darkness.

Ryan grinned as the world returned to its slow motion like state. He sheathed his sword, while the arrows began to pick up speed, and stepped forward. Suddenly the entire world was back to its original speed.

"Ryan, look out!" He heard Rikku and Yuna yell as one. He grinned and drew his sword, and sheathed it before the after image left by the speed was halfway through the path of the swing. There was a sharp crack as the remaining arrows struck the invisible barrier before falling to the ground harmlessly.

"What the hell?" Andy questioned, bewildered by the quick turn of events. Ryan dropped to one knee, suddenly exhausted but still chuckling.

"What the hell are you people?" The bowman asked in horror as the friends circled in around him.

"Well, we range from mages, to blitzball players, to master swordsmen, to gods, and he's an angel. And you range from charbroiled to well done." Andy informed the man with an evil voice that sent shivers down the man's spine.

"Your move pal." Tidus added. The man laughed.

"Now I see why they sent Seph. You guys aren't mages, or gods, or swordsmen. You're monster, every last one of you." He said as he drew a small dagger from his boot. "And so is he."

"What are you talking about? Who's Seph?" Ryan demanded.

"Seph? Oh, he's a killer, a professional assassin. And he's the best in the business too." The assassin stopped, flipping the dagger in the air absent-mindedly, catching it by the blade each time. "Not to mention he's really weird. Even for an assassin he's amazingly hard to track down."

"Anything else?" Ryan asked, standing up slowly.

"Well, he uses weird weapons. At first they're just like two pendulum blades, but then he uses some weird power to connect them with water… dunno how he does it, but it was a lot like that fire thing you did." He said pointing towards Andy. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Dead men tell no tales, right?"

"What do you mean brudda?" Wakka demanded, bringing his blitzball up to a throwing position.

"Well now that I've lost, I'm a liability to Seph. You don't last long in this world if Seph's after you." The man said. With a shrug he tossed the blade one last time, caught the dagger by the hilt, and prepared to shove it into his heart.

"What in the name of Yevon?" Wakka demanded, raising a hand to stop him. "You nuts or" he stopped mid sentence as a pendulum connected to a thread of water wrapped around the assassin's hand, cutting it off neatly.

The assassin looked at the pendulum lying on the ground, then at his own severed hand, still clutching his dagger, and finally at the source of the attack. The calmness that he was giving off was amazing to everyone present. There was no scream of pain; in fact there was no trace of pain on his face at all. "Seph." He said simply. "Didn't think you were so close behind." The black robed figure said nothing, just stood there. "Guess this is the end of our agreement then, isn't it?" The figure nodded silently. "Well make it quick. You owe me that much after all the shit I've gone through for you."

"Indeed." Seph said in a surprisingly sad sounding voice. "For what little it means, you were the one I trusted the most."

The unnamed assassin smiled slightly at the comment. "Thanks." He said calmly while the thread of water began to wrap itself around him, drawing blood wherever it touched. "See ya in hell then."

"Yeah." Seph said just before the thread tightened, cutting the man to pieces instantly.

"What are you?" Tidus questioned, stepping away from the dark figure.

"Me? I'm a businessman. And he was going to ruin me. The second he lost it became necessary to kill him." Seph said calmly as the pendulum began to pull back into his sleeve. "Know this. Had it not been for you, I would have had no need to kill him. He was my friend, and you'll pay for having forced me into this situation!"

"Please, will you… will you let me perform the sending?" Yuna asked, stepping forward bravely. Seph nodded before turning and walking out of the inn so silently he could very well have been a shadow.

While Yuna performed the sending for the handful of people who'd died Rikku and Ryan went around checking up on people. Ryan was more then a little impressed at how much she knew about treating injuries. "That was horrible." She said when they were done. "I've never seen someone so… heartless before." Ryan wasn't sure what to say. He'd never seen anything like it before either, but there was something familiar about Seph. Or more specifically the feeling Ryan got when he was nearby. "Hey, you okay?" Rikku asked, snapping him out of his pondering.

"Huh… oh, yeah, sorry. Just zoned out for a second." Ryan said causing Rikku to giggle quietly. "Hey, what's so funny? Hey?"

Rikku pointed to the ground. Following her gaze Ryan noted the rather large pile of fiend shit he'd stepped in while he'd zoned out. "Oh my god, that's hilarious!" Rikku managed through her giggles.

"Yeah, yeah. So hilarious to you maybe. Damn, this sucks." Ryan complained, trying in vain to wipe the crap off with snow. After falling twice he noticed that Rikku's arms were covered in goose bumps. Looking her over he noticed that it wasn't just her arms, but all her exposed skin. And with short shorts and a tank-top, that was a lot. "Jeez, maybe you should've dress more for the weather." He complained, stopping his vain task for the moment to take his sweatshirt off and give it to the lightly dressed Al Bhed.

"What's this for?" She asked as she took the sweatshirt. "Is it that obvious I'm not use to the cold weather?"

"It's got nothing to do with that. I just didn't want you getting sick because you were too cold." Ryan said, focusing once again on cleaning off his shoe.

"Well thanks." Rikku said happily. Ryan looked up and nearly burst out laughing.

"Well, it is certainly a… different look." He admitted. Rikku pouted in reply and Ryan couldn't help but laugh. The sweatshirt was a large, and she was probably just big enough to fit into a medium, meaning the bottom of the sweatshirt came down below her shorts. She looked like a little kid getting ready to go to bed. After a few seconds Rikku looked down, saw just how funny she actually looked and joined in on the laughter.

Suddenly Ryan stopped laughing, a puzzled look on his face. "What's wrong?" She asked when she noticed.

"Do you smell that?" Ryan asked. Rikku sniffed the air several times before shaking her head. "I could've sworn I smelled gasoline…" Ryan persisted. "Well then I guess it might make sense for you to not be able to smell it."

"What's that mean?" Rikku asked, casting Ryan an uncertain glance.

"Heh. Well you're an Al Bhed right? Aren't Al Bhed supposed to use a lot of machines?" Ryan questioned.

"How did you know?" Rikku asked quietly.

"Well it was when we first met. You were the one in the machina, you admitted to that much. That meant you were either a heretic, or you were an Al Bhed. Then I saw you had green eyes that had swirls in them. Not to mention that before we got onto the Shoopuf a guard mentioned Al Bhed sightings in the area." Ryan shrugged. "No big deal to me either way. Just make sure you don't slip up around Wakka, and try to keep the temperature in mind, ok?" He asked, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulder. Rikku giggled. "What now?"

"Nothing, you just sounded like my dad there." She informed him. "And as for the temperature, I'm from a desert, so I didn't know it could get this cold."

"I see." Ryan said in as funny a voice he could manage. He succeeded in causing Rikku to burst out laughing, which drew an odd look from the Guado approaching them.

"Lady Yuna is here, is she not?" Tromell asked when he'd reached the two friends.

"Yeah, hang on. And you'd better really be Tromell, and not another assassin." Ryan added sarcastically.

"What was that all about?" Tromell questioned Rikku as Ryan went outside.

"Let's just say we've been having a problem with people trying to kill us recently. First the event at the Farplane, and now we just had another one like it. Except we didn't actually lose anyone this time. And a lot more people got hurt. And the Travel Agency is beat up." Rikku finished with a smile.

"I see." Tromell said quietly. "That is truly sad to hear, but it lifts my heart that Lady Yuna escaped unharmed."

"Yep, I'll go see what's takin' them so long!" Rikku said before bounding into the agency just in time to run head first into Ryan.

"Owww!" He cried as he landed on the floor, rubbing his head.

"Rikku, are you okay?" Yuna asked, bending down next to the Al Bhed.

"Ouchie." Rikku complained, rubbing her nose gently. "That hurt you big meanie!"

"What!" cried out over everyone's laughter. After the laughter had died down Tromell started walking back towards them.

"Go prepare yourselves for the trip ahead." Auron informed. "We will wait for you."

"Right." Ryan said, helping Rikku up before going back into the agency.

"What can I help you with sir?" The attendant behind the desk asked.

"Yeah, what kind of weapons and armor do you have?" Ryan questioned. The attendant pulled out a small magazine and handed it to him. "Thanks." He said, taking the magazine. 'It's great that Wakka can kill things from a distance for us, but it'd be better if we didn't have to rely on him and Lulu alone to take care of airborne fiends.' Ryan thought as he turned to the ranged weapons section. Several things caught his eye as soon as he reached the pages, namely the massive variety of weapons, the amount you could buy of each, and the price. They were so cheap! 'I like this place.'

Most of the weapons were different types of blitzballs, much to his surprise. But there were also some weapons he'd heard of before. Kunai, Throwing Stars, Throwing Spikes, Throwing Daggers, and Throwing Axes were all present, but they didn't give the quantity. After asking the attendant she explained that the holder was magic, and never stopped producing the object in question unless it wasn't being used.

Smiling, he turned to the armor section. At first all the armor had been bulky at cumbersome, but the last page showed gloves and necklaces as armor. 'Necklaces and gloves as armor?' he thought to himself in slight surprise. Shrugging he noticed one necklace that supposedly increase the user's speed so long as it was kept on. 'Bingo.' He thought before looking at the gloves, rubbing his raw hands unconsciously. As much as he enjoyed using the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, all that high speed contact while holding a piece of wood wrapped in leather did a number on his hands. After picking out what he wanted he walked over to the attendant, relayed his purchase, paid for the items, and left.

As he walked outside he heard Yuna question Tromell, "I want to keep journeying, even if I marry. Do you think Maester Seymour would let me?"

"But of course, my lady. Lord Seymour wishes nothing else, I'm sure." Tromell replied.

At this Yuna turned back to face the group. "Goodbye." She said quietly.

"Well… We have to follow Guado traditions. I'll have to ask you to wait here a little longer. I'll send someone to escort you." Tromell informed them while Ryan walked to the rear of the group, quietly adding his new pendant to his necklace with his now gloved hands. His fingers were still exposed, which he'd regretted since they were in such cold weather, but the leather kept the rest of his hand warm, and protected from some of the pain that his faster attacks caused him. He also had a pack similar to the one that Andy had to hold his fist blades, and a Throwing Star holder strapped to his right leg.

"I…" Yuna started, but seemed unable to put whatever she wanted to express down with words.

"We're all with you. Do as you will." Auron said rather gently.

"Thank you." Yuna said with a bow to the group before turning and heading off with Tromell.

Ryan stiffened. 'There's that smell again. It's getting stronger!' Ryan thought, panicking as the smell of gasoline came with the wind. "Some kind of machine's coming." He said suddenly.

"Yeah, you can smell it because of the wind." Andy agreed, drawing his fist blades.

"Glad I'm not the only one who smelled it." Matt muttered, hefting Lightning Edge onto his shoulder to reveal a throwing axe strapped to his hip. And in place of his old axe was the bow the unnamed assassin had been using, and Ryan was pretty sure that the quiver that never ran out of arrows was strapped to his other side. Apparently the two had been thinking the same thing again. "There's just never a dull moment around here, is there?"

As if on cue eight snow mobiles came flying over the hill. "Wonderful." Ryan muttered. "As if fiends weren't bad enough." Ryan said sarcastically as he started off towards the ring of snowmobiles now circling Yuna and Tromell.

"Stand back." Auron ordered the two once Yuna's guardians had reached them.

"Thank you." Tromell said before leading Yuna away from the fight. He'd only gotten about ten feet before Yuna broke free of his grip and ran back to her guardians. "Lady Yuna!" He cried helplessly.

"Rikku! Tuh'd ehdanvana un oui kad drec?" A voice called out from atop the hill where the snowmobiles had gone. Suddenly a giant cannon on wheels showed itself as it began its slow descent towards the group. "Ouin bnaleuic magic yht Aeons yna caymat!" the guy with the Mohawk yelled down.

"I've got no idea what he just said, but that cannon's getting closer!" Ryan said, stating the obvious.

"He's gonna use an anti-magic field on us!" Rikku shouted in panic.

"Ked dras!" The guy yelled as the crawler came within striking distance of the group.

'Shit!' Matt thought as the cannon rose up, revealing several machines guns pointing towards them. "Scatter!" He yelled, and everyone complied.

"Rikku, how do we get rid of the anti-magic field?" Ryan yelled to the Al Bhed.

"It wouldn't be on the Crawler, it'd be a totally separate machina! Destroy that and we'll get rid of it!" She yelled as loud as she could, hoping everyone that didn't rely on magic could hear her.

'A second Machina…' Ryan thought as he ran in to slash as the Crawler. As he was jumping back from hi s attack he saw a much smaller machina darting back and forth through the air around the Crawler. "Matt!" He yelled, pointing to the darting machine. Matt followed the direction he was pointing in, spotted the machine, and smiled. Dropping Lightning Edge he picked up one of his throwing axes, took aim, and launched. At the last second the machina moved and Matt's cursing could be heard over the screeching of metal on metal as Auron's massive sword ripped through the armored plating on the outside of the machine.

Seeing a chance to strike, Wakka launched his blitzball at the smaller machine. He too missed, the machine dropping under the attack. And right into Ryan's sword, which had been coming up under it. As soon as he'd seen where Wakka's attack was going he took a guess at how the floating thing would react. And he'd, luckily, been right. Rather then waste time rising or energy going to the sides, the thing had let gravity take its course, saving time and energy.

Covered in oil, Ryan dropped back down onto the crawler, shoving a kunai through an exposed wire, and hopped off. Again he lucked out, since the wire had apparently been the power to the left machine gun, since it stopped firing as soon as the wire had been severed.

"Thunadara!" Lulu and Matt yelled in unison, both spells hitting side by side and doing a great deal of damage to the machine. Suddenly the air filled with electricity, and everyone looked back to see Ixion emerge from thin air.

"Thor's Hammer!" Yuna yelled. The unicorn's horn started to glow as electricity surrounded the giant machina. After that it raised the machine up, then something exploded and the machine dropped back down, very burnt and very beat up, but still not done. Suddenly another one of those little machines appeared, and Ixion quickly disappeared.

"Damn!" Matt yelled, throwing another axe at the nimble thing, and missing again. Just then Ryan got an idea. Running over to Rikku he grabbed the hood of his sweatshirt, cut a small piece off and wiped it quickly up and down the blade of his sword and over his face. Smiling at a very confused Rikku he wrapped the now oil drenched piece of cloth around the handle of the kunai he'd cut the hood with.

"What are you doing?" Rikku questioned when he turned towards Andy.

"Just blowing that thing to hell, and possibly back too." Ryan said calmly. "Andy, I need you to light this on fire."

"Magic doesn't work, my gloves won't make flames." Andy told him, but Ryan just grinned.

"Don't worry about it. This thing is covered in oil." He said, pointing to the cloth. "One spark and it's going up instantly."

"Ah. But you're gonna get burnt really badly if you do this." Andy pointed out. Without reply Ryan flipped the dagger around so that he was holding it by the blade, and the cloth was closest to Andy, who just sighed and said, "You're one crazy dude."

As soon as the cloth was lit Ryan ran until he spotted the part of the armor Auron had broken through, which had grown by about a foot in all direction over the course of the battle. 'Here goes nothing.' Ryan thought as he threw the dagger at the hole. Despite the size he nearly missed. Nearly. "Everyone! Down!" He yelled once it went in. Before anyone had the chance to question why there was a loud explosion, parts of metal went flying everywhere, and everyone was knocked to the ground anyway.

"My Lady!" Tromell cried, running over to Yuna to check to see if she was alright. Once he was sure she was he lead her away in a hurry.

"Rikku! I femm damm Vydran!" The guy with the Mohawk yelled down.

"E ys dra guardian of Yuna, oui caa? Yuna ec cyva! Fa femm kiynt ran! Cra ec cyva!" Rikku yelled in response.

"Oui tu drec ymuha, cecdan!" The Al Bhed leader said before running off.

"I told him I was a guardian. Well, guess I had to, really." Rikku said quietly.

"How come you speak Al Bhed? Why?" Wakka questioned Rikku.

"Because I'm Al Bhed and that… was my brother." Rikku whispered.

"You knew?" Wakka demanded, turning on the rest of the guardians who all nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"We knew you'd be upset." Lulu said simply.

"This is great! I can't believe I've been traveling with an Al Bhed! A heathen!" Wakka yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

"That's going a little far Wakka." Matt said nervously, glancing over at Ryan who was clenching and unclenching his fists.

"You're wrong! We've got nothing against Yevon!" Rikku yelled, pointing a finger at Wakka.

"But you Al Bhed use the forbidden Machina! You know what that means?" Wakka demanded.

"That they don't follow the Maesters of Yevon simply because of who the Maesters are?" Ryan questioned sarcastically. Lulu, Rikku and Wakka all gasped in unison. Matt and Andy groaned, knowing something bad was coming, and Tidus, Auron, and Kimahri watched silently.

"What, now you're a heretic too brudda?" Wakka demanded angrily.

"Maybe." Ryan said flatly.

"So I've been traveling with two heretics!" Wakka yelled, taking a step towards Ryan. "What do you have against Yevon? What makes whatever you believe in so much better?"

"Me? Oh, I don't have a problem with Yevon. My problem is with the Maesters." Ryan stated flatly.

"Wha?" Wakka asked in amazement.

"Aren't they supposed to be the leaders of all the people in Spira?" Ryan questioned. "Well they've got a hell of a way of showing it. I mean, letting all those people at Operation Mi'Ihen die, and not raising a hand to stop it."

"The people at operation Mi'Ihen were heretics too! Because they thought they could stop Sin by using the forbidden machina!"

"Eteud! So just because they use machines they're no better then fiends to you?" Ryan demanded. Wakka looked like he was going to reply but Auron put an end to the arguments.

"Enough! This bickering amongst ourselves is pointless." He said while walking over to one of the snowmobiles. "Rikku, will this move?" he asked. Rikku walked over and started to examine the snowmobile.

"We're not using that, are we? Wait… Sir Auron isn't Al Bhed too, is he?" Wakka complained.

"Wakka, let it go." Matt said quietly.

"What?" He demanded.

"Well first off it's starting to annoy everyone around here, and second, take a look at Rikku." Matt replied quietly, pointing to the small Al Bhed who was barely blinking back tears, despite the happy feeling she was giving off.

"How did you even notice that?" Andy asked.

Matt shrugged. "I've know Ryan and his few other friends for a long time. He hangs out with a lot of people that can hide their emotions well enough that very few can read them. So Ryan and me have become two of those who can. I just don't show that I can do it as much."

"Well it serves a heretic right." Wakka stated definitely.

"Wakka, come on!" Tidus complained. "I mean, getting angry just because you found out that Rikku's an Al Bhed… I mean, you guys got along fine until now, didn't you?"

"That's different, I mean…" Wakka started, but stopped when he couldn't think of any rebuttal.

"Look Wakka," Ryan said in a much calmer voice, although it still held a trace of annoyance, and possibly anger in it, "Rikku's the same girl you've been traveling with until now. Stop thinking about her as an Al Bhed, and start thinking about her as a friend. You might just find out now all 'heretics' are as bad as you think."

"Exactly!" Tidus agreed. "I don't claim to know much about Spira, and I probably know even less about the Al Bhed, but… I know, Rikku's a good person. She's just Rikku."

"Lu?" Wakka asked, turning to his friend.

"Just think of this as an opportunity to learn more about the Al Bhed." She replied calmly.

"Ha!" Wakka complained before leaving.

"Let him go. Give him time to think." Auron told Tidus before he could follow Wakka.

"I'm sorry." Rikku said quietly.

"You've done nothing to apologize for." Lulu said comfortingly.

"Yeah, that part was me." Ryan said with a shrug. "Oh well, I'll talk to him once we've both had time to cool down."

"All right! Let's ride!" Tidus yelled while walking over to a snowmobile and sitting down on it.

"You sure you know how to drive this?" Rikku asked skeptically. Before Tidus could reply Kimahri walked over to a flipped snowmobile, flipped it so it was sitting properly, sat down, and took off towards Macalania Temple.

"Better then Kimahri does." Tidus said with a shrug. Just before he took off Lulu sat down on the back of his, and nodded for him to go. With another shrug he started off, followed closely by Auron, then Andy, and Matt.

Rikku started looking at the last two snowmobiles, kicked one, cursed at it in Al Bhed, and looked at Ryan sheepishly. "Uh… heh, it won't start." She informed.

"Ahhh. So that's what the cursing was all about." Ryan said sarcastically.

"Hey, how'd you know what I said?" Rikku demanded. "And on that note, why'd you call Wakka an idiot in Al Bhed?"

"I called Wakka an idiot in Al Bhed?" Ryan asked in confusion.

"Yeah. You said 'eteud' which is idiot in Al Bhed." She informed him.

Ryan shrugged. "Can't say I knew that." He admitted. Suddenly he heard a voice chuckling in the back of his head and frowned.

:I hate to admit it, but I'm starting to like you more and more.: Lusniec's voice said from inside his head. :And you're becoming more and more like me the more I watch you.:

Ryan shivered and Rikku tapped him on the shoulder. "You okay?" She questioned. Ryan shook his head.

"No. Remember when I fell into the Farplane?" he asked her and her face paled instantly. "Well I met a powerful angel named Lusniec there. And he keeps popping up in my head randomly and talking to me. It's really annoying." Ryan said with a sigh.

:And so you continue.: Lusniec said, his voice fading away until it was gone.

'This is gonna be a long trip.' Ryan thought bitterly as Rikku got onto the snowmobile, motioning for him to get on too.

"Unless you wanna walk the whole way. Don't worry, I don't bite." She added jokingly.

"You know, the last person that said that to me actually did bite me…" Ryan said before he got on and they took off laughing.

"I wanted to thank you." Rikku said when the started to catch up to Tidus and Lulu. "Not a lot of people have the guts to question the Maesters, or stand up for the Al Bhed. So thanks!"

"Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for isn't it?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, I suppose so. Hey, there's the temple now!" Rikku said, taking one hand off the wheel carefully and pointing towards a temple that was accessible from a lone bridge, because the rest of it was held up by a frozen lake. Suddenly Ryan's hand shot forward, grabbed the handle Rikku had just let go of and squeezed, pulling Rikku as close to him as he could in the process. Since they had been going feel speed, and Ryan hadn't eased on the brake they were sent flying off it. Ryan twisted in midair so that Rikku landed on top of him, rather then the other way around. Despite how little she weighed the wind was still forced out of his lungs when they landed. "Ow, what was that for?" Rikku complained as she stood up, brushing herself off. Ryan pointed back towards their snowmobile to where Andy was sitting on the snow, next to his snowmobile, which wouldn't start, starring at them. "Oh."

"Eyes… on the… road." Ryan gasped as he sat up.

"Sorry!" Rikku practically yelled as she helped him to his feet completely. "You okay?"

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Yeah. You know me, having a hundred and fifteen pound Al Bhed land on me after we were launched off a snowmobile that was doing about eighty miles an hour, doesn't hurt at all." He said in such a sarcastic voice that everyone, even Auron, laughed.

"Once Ryan can breathe again we head inside." Auron declared after he was done chuckling.

"Don't worry 'bout me. It's not the first time I've had the wind knocked out of me. Let's go." Ryan ordered, and everyone started towards the temple. When they got there the guard held up a hand for them to stop.

"Halt. The likes of her," The man said, pointing at Rikku and sneering, "are not welcome in this hallo" He stopped in the middle of the word when he saw Ryan's glare.

"She is a guardian." Auron stated simply.

"Any more complaints?" Matt asked, hefting Lightning Edge menacingly. "Come on, I just love to solve problems like this." The man shook his head quickly. "Damn." Matt said, snapping his fingers.

After dealing with the problem at the door they encountered another. Shelinda. She berated Tidus about lying about the marriage of Yuna and Seymour. Then she proved to be useful by telling the group that Yuna had gone into the trials with Maester Seymour. The news sent a shiver down the spine of all three of the teens from earth, who shared an uncertain glance. Before they could voice anything someone came out of a room reserved for visiting summoners yelling about a sphere in Yuna's belongings.

"This may well answer a few questions." Auron stated as everyone gathered around the sphere.

When Tidus played the recording they heard the voice of Lord Jyscal, Seymour's father. He said, "What I'm about to tell you is the unclouded truth. I swear it on my honor as a Guado. Listen to me very carefully, for I shall tell you the truth about my son, Seymour. His mind is closed even to me, a Maester of Yevon. But I can feel flames of darkness burning in his heart. He is using Yevon, the Guado and even the Summoners. If he is not stopped he will surely bring chaos and destruction to Spira. I will leave this world soon, killed by my own son. But I do not fault him. Because I was not wise enough, he has suffered and become twisted. I could not protect him and his mother from the world and its cruelty. I will accept death as my punishment. But whoever is watching this… I implore you to stop Seymour. Stop my son!" The recording ended and everyone in the room was silent for a moment as what they'd just heard sunk in.

"Well this is a great turn of events." Ryan muttered.

"Will Yunie be alright?" Rikku asked Auron.

"Without us, no." The wise man replied flatly.

"So what are we waiting for?" Matt asked as he, Ryan, and Andy followed Auron out the door.

"Where you going?" Wakka demanded as Rikku and Kimahri walked out the door after their friends.

"You saw, didn't you? Seymour's bad news!" Tidus said.

"But he's a Maester!" Wakka retorted desperately.

"Fine, stay here if you want to!" Tidus said before disappearing out the door.

"Perhaps Ryan was right to not trust the Maesters. But even so, we should at least hear him out. Come on Wakka." Lulu ordered as she walked out the door.

"This can't be happening!" Wakka complained to the empty room before following his friends out of the room.

When he reached the rest of the group Auron told him, "We will protect Yuna from anyone. Even a Maester."

"This can't be happening." Wakka complained again.

"Chill out Wakka. We can't be sure it was actually Seymour yet." Ryan said as they walked through the completed trial, and entered the room where Seymour and two of his guards were waiting.

"Seymour!" Tidus yelled.

"Please be silent. Lady Yuna prays to the Fayth." Seymour said calmly.

"Why don't you try and make us?" Matt taunted. Before Seymour had the chance to say anything Yuna came out of the prayer's room.

"Yuna!" Tidus yelled in relief.

"But why…?" She questioned uncertainly as she started towards her friends.

"We saw Jyscal's sphere." Tidus explained.

"You killed him." Auron accused Seymour, stepping forward.

"I did no such thing. But believe that if you must." Seymour said quietly. "But certainly Lady Yuna knew of these things, before she decided to come. Did you not, Lady Yuna. So why have you come?"

"I came… I came to stop you!" She said defiantly.

"I see. So you came to punish me then." Seymour said calmly turning to face the group as Yuna took a step back into the circle of her friends. "What a pity. Ah, of course. 'Protect the Summoner even at the cost of one's life.' The code of the Summoner. How admirable." Seymour declared as he pulled out his own staff. "Well, if you're offering your lives, I shall have to take them."

"Maester Seymour, I trust my guardians with my life." Yuna said, looking around at her friends. "But they are also my friends. I will not stand by and watch them be hurt. I will fight too." She declared.

"All right!" Tidus yelled.

"So the gangs all together again." Ryan said with a chuckle.

"I knew you were bad new the first time we met!" Tidus yelled.

"Oh my sincerest apologizes." Seymour said smugly.

"Seymour!" Tidus yelled, tightening the grip on his sword.

"Maester! We must stop this!" Wakka yelled. Seymour didn't even bother to reply to his plea. "Oh, this can't be happening!" Wakka complained once again.

"You may be a Maester but I will still fight!" Yuna cried, bringing her staff up defensively.

"Your eyes, burn with resolve! Beautiful!" Seymour replied in the creepiest voice Andy had ever heard. "Alas, my dear Summoner, I must end the suffering of your guardians here. Fira!" Seymour yelled, beginning the fight. The friends scattered to avoid the magical fire.

While the rest of the group continued to distract Seymour and his guardians, Matt chucked both his throwing axe, one at each of the guardians, and took up his bow. Grabbing an arrow, he sighted down Seymour and fired. The Maester saw the arrow and raised a hand, a shard of ice appearing in its path well before it reached him.

'Damn.' Matt thought, throwing his bow to the ground he picked up Lightning Edge and charged in, dodging a blast of water in the process. With a roar he swung his battle-axe down as hard as he could, fully expecting to cleave the warped Maester in two. Two inches before that happened a barrier become visible when Lightning Edge struck it. Having committed to the attack completely Matt didn't have the chance to recover, and felt a blast of water slam into his stomach from point blank range, throwing him across the room.

"Don't tell me that's all. I expected more." Seymour taunted. He was going to say more but a grenade rolled out from behind him. He looked at it dumbly for a second, and went to kick it. Just before his foot hit it the thing blew up. The explosion would've killed any normal man, but his protective spell held just enough to keep him alive, although it did little to dampen the impact from his collision with the wall.

"Expect that?" Rikku taunted as Seymour got to his feet shakily.

"Fell my pain. Come, Anima!" Seymour cried as a familiar hook and chain dove into the dark hole that had appeared in the ground.

"That's not good. I didn't mean it, really!" Rikku cried having never seen Anima before. When it arose out of the hole she screamed.

"Relax." Ryan said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's not that bad, believe me."

"This isn't the thunder plains, children." Seymour sneered. "You won't get lucky again!"

"We'll see who got lucky." Andy said as he started to charge in towards the massive Aeon. While he charged Anima gathered energy in it's one visible eye and fired at him before he was close enough to attack. Despite the massive power the Aeon wielded the attack wasn't able to break through the barrier of flames that appeared. With a snap of his fingers the fire slammed into the giant Aeon, weakening the armor like bandages.

"Oblivion!" Seymour yelled the command after the enraged Aeon had started to use the powerful attack. The ground around the Aeon began to change to the color it was when Anima had first been summoned, and the three closest foes, Matt, Andy, and Auron, were sucked into the void. Once inside they were pummeled by Anima's darker half, which lay beneath it and also chained. As they cried out in pain it gathered a massive amount of energy and hurled it at them, shattering the elemental defenses of Andy and Matt, and knocked all three out instantly.

"Pcydynt!" Ryan yelled, not finding it odd that he was once again speaking a language he didn't know as he charged the massive Aeon so quickly he was little more then a blur to everyone present. When he stopped moving he was standing on Anima's left shoulder, sword drawn. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Sou Sen!" He yelled, slashing the side of the giant Aeon's face repeatedly, at a speed so fast that the reflection nearly blinded everyone watching the fight. When he was done the Aeon slumped over, pyreflies leaking from the multiple cuts. By this time Yuna had been able to revive And, Matt, and Auron, all of whom were surprised at the speed of the attacks.

Seymour growled as Ryan jumped down towards him with his sword pointed down, trying to impale the Maester and end the fight. Seymour stepped to the side as Ryan came down. "Die! Multi-Fira!" He yelled, casting multiple fire spells as the boy hit the ground, causing a giant cloud of dust. Everyone waited for the dust to settle, and Yuna and her guardians let out a sigh of relief when they saw Ryan standing there, un-harmed. "What?" Seymour demanded as he launched another spell, which bounced off in different directions but still didn't touch the boy.

"Wow, you're an idiot. Falling for such an old trick." Ryan muttered as he started to fade away, literally.

"What? What's going on?" Lulu questioned.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style's true speed." Andy muttered in amazement. "The speed of the gods, a speed so fast not only is it just barely perceivable by the human eye, if the user moves at full speed from a still position it leaves an after image."

"That's what was inside the barrier then?" Yuna asked.

"Yeah. Now the real question is where's the real Ryan." Matt asked as much as said. Suddenly Seymour's barrier flared back to life as Ryan's sword made contact with it multiple times until it faded and he cut Seymour across the chest.

"That's the fight." Auron thought out loud. "Against so fast an opponent a mage has little chance once they get in close."

"Yeah, then why isn't he finishing Seymour?" Tidus questioned. As if to answer it Ryan appeared in front of Seymour, bent down so low that his left hand was pressed firmly against the ground. His right leg shot up like it was a spring that'd been pressed down for days. It slammed into Seymour's chin, sending the Maester flying more then six feet into the air. With a sickening thud the Maester of Yevon landed, causing his own cloud of dust. Ryan watched, still kneeling from exhaustion.

"Was that the end?" Rikku questioned as the group ran over to Ryan in case the Maester wasn't finished.

When the dust settled Seymour was laying in a growing pool of his own blood, which emptied into the cracked and splintered stone floor on which he was laying. "I'd say that's the end." Tidus said.

"Don't… count on it." Seymour growled as he stoop up slowly, picked up his staff and glared at Ryan with a furious expression. "Now die!" he yelled, as Fira, Watera, Blizzara, and Thundara spells hit him at the same time, sending his limp body flying back with icicles sticking out of it from various places.

"Ryan!" Rikku yelled, running over to the battered and dying guardian.

"Yuna, the new Aeon!" Tidus yelled.

"O Fayth, lend me strength. Grand Summon!" Yuna whispered, and Seymour's eyes widened in horror as a bunch of icicles landed in between Yuna and him. A spirit slowly drifted into the icicles, which exploded when it was completely inside them. A woman with thick blue hair, blue skin, and an outfit that gave Dona's a run for the skimpiest ever, showing more blue skin that was as smooth as ice. "Diamond Dust!" Yuna ordered the Aeon.

"No!" Seymour yelled helplessly a wave of ice encased him before he could banish the Aeon. With an almost lazy snap of her fingers the ice goddess shattered Seymour's ice prison. Even after the attack had ended more then one icicle was sticking out of Seymour. But still the Maester wouldn't stay down. "Be gone!" He yelled, and with a sweep of his hand the Aeon began to dissipate into pyreflies.

"You're really pissing me off!" Andy yelled as he charged the Maester. Seymour grinned and countered the charge with a Thundara spell. It didn't work, nor did it seem to have any effect on Andy, who growled the pain away and shoved the end of one fist blade through each of Seymour's lungs. "Now stay down!" He growled as he kicked Seymour in the chest, pulling both blades out and stepped away from the dying Maester.

Yuna ran over to the fallen Maester. "Yuna… you would pity me now?" Seymour asked before he died. Yuna closed the Maesters eyes. Tromell and several Guado walked into the room and gasped a few seconds later.

"Lord Seymour? What has happened here?" Tromell demanded.

"What… what have I done?" Wakka asked as the realization that Seymour was dead.

"Wait a minute. It's not our fault at all! Seymour struck first, he's the bad guy!" Tidus declared.

"Give it up Tidus." Ryan said as Rikku helped him walk over to the rest of the group. "Seymour was the leader of the Guado, do you really think they believe he can do anything wrong?"

"You did this?" Tromell asked in a voice mixed with horror, surprise, betrayal, anger, and a deep sadness.

"Yuna. Send him." Auron ordered. Yuna nodded and prepared to send him.

"No, stop!" Tromell ordered, stepping between Yuna and Seymour's corpse. "Step away from him traitors!" As if on some unknown cue the Guado that had entered with him carried Seymour off.

"Traitors?" Yuna repeated in disbelief.

"Wait a minute. Seymour's the bad guy, right! We'll explain to everyone what happened." Tidus suggested.

"It won't be that easy," Auron said in his usual, impassive tone, "Let's get out of here."

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well there it is folks. another 30 some page chapter. i hope you like it, and i must apologize because i warned that there might be fluff in this chapter, but i was thinking of the second time we'll go to macalania woods. i always forget abou that since it's such a short stay. anyway, don't forget to review. cya next time! 


	11. Problems With Yevon

i'd like to apologize to Plum-chan, Sejast Fanel, labrat-seph, and Da Ker MysTeRr. i got your reviews everyone, but i deleted them when i was saving the document. then the server went down and kicked me off for the night. but i still appreciate that you took the time to review!and your four are the _**ONLY**_ ones who reviewed the last chapter. wonder where my other reviewers/fans went... oh well, on to the chapter!

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Chapter 11:Problems With Yevon 

"Well isn't this wonderful?" Ryan muttered dryly as they walked out of the Chamber of the Fayth only to find the Cloister of Trials had been reset to its incomplete state. He sat down, still tired from his rather fast battle against Seymour.

"Hey, you guys got the last one, right?" Tidus said with a smile towards Ryan, Matt, and Andy who nodded in reply. "Well then let us handle this one."

"If you say so." Matt said, sitting down next to Ryan. The three watched in silent laughter as their friends slid around the room, moving spheres, blowing up icicles, and restoring the puzzle to its completed state. After finding some hidden chest they waved for the three, who'd managed to catch their breath by this time, to come over. "Well, that went rather well, seeing that we're on ice and all."

"Yeah. Told you we had this one." Tidus said grinning.

"Let's go." Auron ordered again, leading them out of the cloister and into the main room of the temple. They were greeted by a group of grim faced Guado.

"Please…" Yuna pleaded.

"Give us a chance to explain." Auron finished.

"No need," Tromell informed them with a wave of his claw-like hands, "I already know what I'll tell the other Maesters."

"Meaning?" Auron demanded.

"Lord Seymour was the leader of the Guado before he was a Maester of Yevon." Tromell stated simply, glaring icily at the group.

"You're not letting us go." Tidus interpreted.

"Let you go?" Tromell questioned in mock humiliation. "Lord Seymour would never forgive us if we did."

"Wait! Wait!" Rikku cried excitedly.

"Jyscal's sphere!" Andy said, catching on to what the Al Bhed was thinking. "If we show them that they'll understand."

Tromell chuckled grimly and produced a sphere. "You mean this?" he asked coldly.

"Play it back." Ryan suggested. "Or are you afraid to learn the truth of your precious leader?" Tromell smirked and threw the sphere to the ground.

"The Guado take care of Guado affairs." Tromell stated flatly.

"Away!" Kimahri yelled suddenly, shoulder checking the nearest Guado.

"Run!" Auron agreed, plowing through the Guado in front of the group. The group chased after him, using their weapons to attack without killing any of the Guado that barred their path.

Getting through the wall of Guado was pretty easy. Once they were outside the temple however they found themselves on the run from multiple Guado guards. From time to time the faster ones would catch them, summon a few fiends to help them battle, and then fall under the group's power.

"This is getting annoying." Matt complained as the group sat down to rest, having appeared to escape their pursuers for the moment. "Any ideas?"

"Keep running." Ryan suggested, walking over to see what was around the next bend. "Well, there doesn't seem to be anyone out there." He informed, stressing the 'seem' immensely.

"Why do you think they stopped chasing us so quickly?" Andy wondered aloud. "We did kill their leader after all. You think they'd chase us all over Spira or something."

"Hey, I'd rather not have to worry about any more assassins thank you." Ryan said flatly. "So what do we do next?"

"Right now we should probably keep moving. At least until we're somewhere we're sure is safe." Tidus said. The rest of the group nodded as they walked out to confront whatever the Guado had up their sleeve. Surely enough two Guado stepped out from behind a hill, smirking.

"That can't be good." Rikku observed nervously. As if she'd spoken a magical word a massive, white furred fiend with blue skin, a loincloth, and claws that looked like they were at least six inches long walked up over the hill, standing in between the two Guado.

Ryan moaned. "Gimme a break!" He shouted at them. In response the two guardians muttered something, launching a bolt of lightning and icicles his way. Drawing his sword Ryan jumped in the path of the icicles, leaving the lightning to Matt. Grinning evilly he spoke, "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Sou Sen!" he yelled, his blade flashing out as he cut the icicles to ribbons. Even so, several still managed to get past his sword, leaving superficial wounds along his arms and sides. Glancing over he saw Matt, fists' clenched in concentration as a wolf started to take shape out of the lightning. With a cry it turned back on the Guado that had originally cast the spell, and charged him. When it connected with the guardian the area quickly filled with the smell of burning flesh as the Guado dropped to a burnt crisp on the ground. "Yamu?" Ryan asked.

"Yamu." Matt said with a confirming grin. "I see you could've used some help." Ryan shrugged.

"Can we do this later?" Lulu asked as she cast a Fira spell on the guardian. It hit something and Lulu cursed, drawing a number of surprised glances her way.

"Well, what do you say we get rid of that spell for Lulu?" Tidus asked, hefting his sword to his shoulder like Auron. "Any ideas?"

"Yeah, kill'em the old fashion way and leave the big thing to Lu." Andy said, drawing his fist blades slowly. "Got any more techniques you wanna show off Ryan?"

"Yeah. I started it against Seymour but I didn't get to finish it." Ryan said, referring to the kick he'd managed to give in before collapsing against the rather resilient Maester. "Mind if I lead the… charge I guess you could say?"

"By all means." Matt said, bowing in mock submission.

"Right then." Ryan said as he prepared to charge in. He took a deep breath and took off, little more then a blur to everyone there. Accept Auron, who watched silently, easily able to distinguish Ryan's true form where others saw only blurs.

Suddenly the trail of snow stopped, blocking the horrified Guado guardian from sight for a second before he went flying into the air nearly twelve feet. As he started to fall the snow had settled enough to allow the group to see a blur as Ryan jumped up, slammed his sword's hilt into the Guado's stomach, sending it higher into the air as Ryan pushed off, launching himself at the ground. He landed as the Guado began to fall again, pushed off, brought his sword up above his head. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Sho Sen!" He yelled just before his sword's blade was driven up into the Guado's neck, severing the head clean off.

As if it he had seen the gruesome ending coming, the limp body's arm stretched out, magic flaring before dying away. As the group began to turn to the white fiend they saw a bloodlust in its eyes. Turning menacingly towards Ryan it raised a clawed hand and swung. There was a lot of blood, a roar of pain from the creature as Ryan's sword cut deeply into its hand, and cry of pain from Ryan as he slammed into a nearby wall, snow falling on top of him, and turning red, ending the horrifying sequence of events.

"Rikku, help Ryan." Auron stepped forward slowly in the silence that followed his command, his sword held over his shoulder, his one eye promising death to the fiend as he approached. As he got closer he broke into a run, dragging his sword along the ground, stopping suddenly in front of the fiend. Using his momentum he gripped the sword in both hands, and swung it like a baseball bat, cutting the creature nearly in half in a bloody display of power.

The creature roared in pain as it clutched at its own intestines as they spilled out of the wound Auron had made. As if it realized the futility of its actions it glared at Auron and slammed its fists into the ground. Over and over it attacked the ground, the group watching, thinking the fiend to be in its death throws. As the fiend dropped to the ground, dead judging from the incredibly large amount of blood it feel into, there was a loud pop from beneath the snow.

"You're kidding me." Matt moaned as he leaned down to wipe some snow from the ground. Only it wasn't ground. It was ice. And it was cracking, quickly, too quickly for them to get away. "Rikku, take care of Ryan!" He yelled over to the Al Bhed who'd managed to stop Ryan's bleeding for the time being. Kimahri had also sprinted over during the fiend's attacks on the ground, and was helping her to move Ryan so he was flat. There were several more loud cracks as the ice gave out, and then there was black.

888

"Well, isn't that wonderful." Seph muttered as he watched the group fall beneath the ice. "Now how am I supposed to get to them?" With a shrug he turned and headed back towards the Thunder Plains. No sense in staying there to watch a hole was there? 'They'll be back, and I'll be waiting.' He told himself quietly.

888

When Matt started to regain feeling in his body he realized two things. The first was he was in water. The second was that he hurt. Badly, and all over. With a groan he forced himself into a sitting position, slowly opening his eyes. It was misty, damp, cold, and there was rubble everywhere. Lightning Edge was also right next to him, lying in the cold water. 'Perfect.' He thought bitterly as he stood up and looked around through the gloom for his friends. After awhile he spotted Auron ahead of him a little ways, his back turned to Matt. "So where are we?" Matt asked as he approached.

"Don't know." Auron stated.

"Where's everyone else, do we know that?" Matt asked. Auron nodded.

"They're scattered throughout the nearby area." Auron told him in his normal tone.

"Guess I'll go find them." Matt said with a sigh.

"Leave them be." Auron ordered. Matt looked at him oddly until he continued, "I've made sure they'll all live. Give them time to think about what they've done, and sort their feelings out. Don't forget, despite the fact that you aren't from Spira, nor are Tidus or your friends, everyone in this group other then Rikku and me were avid followers of Yevon."

"Yeah, and now they're branded as traitors." Matt said quietly, feeling more then a little guilty for the latest turn of events. Auron nodded and the two stood together in silence.

888

The searing pain across his chest was quickly bringing Ryan back to consciousness. Once his mind was active enough to think of cursing Andy out he knew he was awake. Slowly he opened his eyes, and was grateful that the light where ever he was wasn't too bright. In fact it seemed rather dim.

"Hey, you're up! Finally!" Rikku said quietly. Ryan blinked trying to get rid of the two extra Rikku faces floating around the real one. After several minutes Rikku frowned at him. "You okay?"

"Um… which one of you is asking?" Ryan asked groggily. Rikku giggled and he started to, but stopped after the first one, waves of pain racing through his body like it was the Indy 500. He tried to pull himself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain that flared up every time he moved, but Rikku pushed him back down to the ground gently.

"Relax, would you? My gosh, men." Rikku said, rolling her eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked.

"You've got two broken ribs, and that thing cut you deep. You're not in any condition to be moving." She replied.

"Well that'd explain the searing hot pains." Ryan muttered, leaning his head back and realizing for the first time that he was cold. And that his head wasn't actually in the water, only his body was. He glanced down and saw a bunch of bandages wrapped deftly around his chest. He craned his neck and found himself looking at Rikku no matter how much he strained.

She blushed. "Everything was covered in water…" She said quietly. "And it wouldn't have done us any good to have you getting sick on us, so don't be thinking anything perverted, alright?" She demanded, adding the last part only when Ryan started smiling. He relaxed, held his hands up defensively, and closed his eyes.

'Well,' He thought happily, 'maybe being hurt does have its own advantages.' Another jolt of pain ran through his chest and he winced, dismissing the thought as stupid instantly. Grimacing he concentrated on his chest. He wasn't sure which ribs were broken specifically, but the pain in certain spots was a pretty good clue as to where it was. He whispered "Cura", but from how Rikku looked at him he wasn't sure it came out at all. Regardless he felt the healing spell roll over him a few seconds later, easing more of the pain then he'd expected away with it.

"Hey, you shouldn't be moving!" Rikku complained, trying to push him back down. It didn't work and he grinned at her.

His grin faded when something dawned on him. 'If I could get fix that so easily, why didn't Yuna do it?' His face paled and he turned to face Rikku so quickly she leaned back a little. "Where's Yuna?"

She leaned forward and pointed towards a nearby rock. There lay the Summoner, with the ever-vigilant Kimahri standing right next to her. Just then Tidus walked over and grinned. "Should we leave you two alone?" He asked without making any attempt to hide what he was getting at.

"Oh, but of course. We were just about to go over there," Ryan said in a calm voice, pointing to a rather dark area with lots of rubble on it as Matt walked up, "and have mad-passionate monkey sex." Tidus stared at him, obviously buying the lie.

"Damn man, already? I didn't even know you two were going out." Matt stated, a knowing smile on his face that told Ryan he was well aware of the lie.

'Never could out-lie you.' Ryan thought while he chuckled. "Well you need a new intelligence network." Ryan said quietly before turning towards a blushing Rikku, picking her up gently and walking off towards the area he'd pointed to earlier.

"Hey, I was kidding, you know!" Tidus stated as he watched the two walk off.

"I wasn't!" Ryan replied without stopping. The two disappeared behind a large piece of rubble as Wakka and Lulu walked over to join them. As soon as they were behind the rubble Ryan put a still blushing Rikku down.

"I don't… I didn't… I can't… were you…" She stuttered as Ryan bent down and took the bottom parts of his pants off with a zipper she hadn't seen before.

"Can I borrow my sweatshirt for a minute?" Ryan questioned and Rikku blushed even more. Quietly she took it off and handed it back to Ryan. "Hey, I was joking back there. Watch." He instructed as he threw his sweatshirt over the top of the rubble. There was a gasp of amazement. "But that doesn't mean that we can't make Tidus think we did, now does it?"

Rikku nearly exploded into laughter, her embarrassment gone. "You're so mean." She whispered as Ryan threw the pant legs over the top of the rubble. "I've got a bathing suit on under this you know." She said, pointing to her shirt. "So we could throw that over too."

Ryan considered it for a moment, but shook his head, clearly sad at his own decision. "As much as I would love that, I don't think we should go that far with it."

"What do you mean, 'as much as I would love that'? You hiding something from me?" She demanded, leaning towards Ryan until their noses were touching. This time Ryan found himself blushing. Before he could force himself to stop she smiled evilly.

'Well, cat's outta the bag now.' Ryan thought, oddly relieved. He grinned back, leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. She blinked and starred at him in amazement. "Well, now that that… awkward moment is done," Ryan said, standing up, "I think it'd be good to conclude our little joke. How about it?" Ryan asked.

888

"Are they actually… gonna do that?" Tidus questioned Matt who just continued to smile, as clothing was hung over the top of the rubble. First was the sweatshirt that Rikku'd been wearing, followed by Ryan's pants. Matt half expected Ryan's boxers to come over next, but they didn't.

"What in the world?" Wakka questioned from behind Tidus. "What are those two doin' back there bruddas?"

"Ryan and Rikku are… they're…" Tidus stalled, unsure of how to break the news to Wakka. Another gasp from Rikku, much louder this time, drew their attention back to the rubble.

"They're having sex." Matt said flatly.

"What! At a time like this? Man, they really are out there, huh?" Wakka whispered in awe.

Matt burst into laughter. "Oh my god!" He cried to the sky, nearly falling over. "I think you've waited long enough you two." Rikku moaned in reply and Matt's eyes nearly fell out of his head. "Hey, enough is enough guys." He said, walking over around the rubble. There was a scream, followed by a rock thrown at Matt, just high enough that it didn't actually hit him. "Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" He yelled, ducking as someone behind the rubble picked up another rock and tossed it at him. "And Rikku, damn you've got a nice body!" Matt added before jumping out of the way of a third rock tossed at him. After that he decided it was getting a little risky to stay so he ran back to the group, pale faced.

"Just a joke, eh brudda?" Wakka asked in an "I told you so" kind of voice. Loud laughter drew their attention back to the rubble. Ryan and Rikku was there, laughing hysterically. Ryan's pants were gone from a little below the knee down, and Rikku was missing Ryan's sweatshirt, but they were otherwise completely clothed. As they looked at the two, thoroughly puzzled, Matt burst out laughing, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

"What in the name of Yevon…" Lulu wondered, walking up next to Wakka.

"You missed it Lulu! It was great!" Rikku informed the black mage who looked at her oddly. "Well I was taking care of Ryan, and I had his head on my lap, but Tidus took it the wrong way, so Ryan went along with the way Tidus took it and said we were about to have mad-passionate monkey sex back here. And then he picked me up and walked back here, and we were making all the sounds we could think of that would add to it, and then we put the bottom of his pants and his sweatshirt over the top, and then Matt came back and we threw rocks over his head, and he went along with it, and we had them thinking that we were having sex!" Rikku finished, taking in a deep breath.

"That was amazing…" Andy said, walking over to join the group. "You said all of that in one breath." All of the teens burst out laughing at the comment, but Wakka and Lulu starred at them harshly. "Well, perhaps it would be a good idea to figure out how to get out of here. Maybe." Andy added.

"We climb." Kimahri informed them.

"You insane? That's like, what, four hundred feet of sheer ice wall lil' boy blue." Ryan said adopting the nickname Matt'd given the Ronso when they'd first met. "I can't even do forty!"

A stirring at Kimahri's feet ended all further discussion. After they'd regained the rest of their clothing Ryan and Rikku joined the others around Yuna in time to hear the young Summoner say "I wanted to confront Maester Seymour about his father, Lord Jyscal. I wanted to convince him to turn himself in to Yevon's judgment."

"In exchange for marriage?" Lulu questioned.

"Yes, if that's what it took."

"What did Seymour say?" Tidus questioned.

"He didn't say anything. Now… now I don't think it was even worth it." Yuna said quietly, looking from Ryan, to Matt, to Auron, and Finally to Andy. "I'm so sorry about what I put you all through!"

"Hey, don't worry about it. All's well that ends well, right?" Andy asked.

"Dwelling in the past is futile." Auron informed them coldly.

"Hey! You don't have to say it like that!" Rikku complained.

"You want to waste time listening to her regrets?" Auron questioned.

"You didn't have to say it like that." Rikku replied quietly.

"Our immediate concern is Yuna's pilgrimage." Auron said, turning on the Summoner. "Are you willing to go on?"

There was a heavy silence before Yuna nodded. "Yes. But then, do you think Yevon will allow it?" she asked quietly.

"Does it matter?" Ryan asked, drawing everyone's full attention. "Who cares what they think. We said we'd protect Yuna from anyone right? If Yevon wants to brand us as traitors let'em. After all, it's just a word, and in the ends actions speak louder then words. We'll beat Sin, and then they'll have to apologize."

"Yes. It is the Fayth that give the Summoners their power, not the temples or the teachings." Auron said, agreeing. "If the temples try to stop us… we will defy Yevon if we must."

"Whoa!" Tidus and Rikku said, starring at the two like they'd just turned into Seymour.

"I can't believe you guys would say that!" Rikku added.

"Ryan, Sir Auron?" Lulu asked in disbelief.

"Count me out!" Wakka said strongly. "We've got to atone for the sins we have committed. Of course… it's not like I ever liked Maester Seymour, ya? No way I'll ever forgive him for killing Lord Jyscal… and for trying to do us all in too, you know? But still, the bunch of us going against Yevon? No way!"

"Why not? If they're gonna call me a traitor, I'll give them a reason to." Matt chimed in.

"Yeah. Besides, every revolution has to start somewhere." Ryan added.

"Impossible odds, slim chances of success, what are we waiting for?" Andy finished up.

"But still… we have transgressed, and must face our punishment." Lulu said quietly.

"We must go to Bevelle and speak to Maester Mika and explained what has happened. That is the only way, I think." Yuna told them.

"I agree." Wakka stated.

"Sir Auron?" Yuna asked.

"So it is decided." Auron said quietly.

"You will come with us?" Yuna asked, almost hopefully.

"I am the troublemaker, after all." Auron replied.

"Yeah, that's right! You can always count on Auron to complicate things!" Tidus said, clenching his fist.

"Yeah! Kimahri roars, and Auron runs off, and…" Rikku agreed.

"I never asked you to follow me." Auron informed them.

"But that's what friends are for one-eye." Ryan said with a laugh, which ended abruptly when Auron's 'one-eye' met his own two eyes. "But seriously, what kind of person would leave their friends to fight and not help them out?"

"That's right!" Rikku agreed.

"Thank you." Yuna told her guardians.

"Friends, huh?" Rikku said to herself quietly. Ryan wrapped his arm around her shoulders and smiled.

"Yep, friends. Ever had one before?" He asked sarcastically as Rikku pushed him away playfully.

"Man… How can you all act like nothing's wrong? Must got nerves of steel or something." Wakka said, a little jealous of their laughter.

"Nerves of steel my ass." Ryan said with a grin which caused everyone not from earth to look at him oddly. "It's got nothing to do with that."

"Then what's it got to do with then?" Wakka requested.

"It's simple really. The more you worry about it, the worse it's gonna seem. You just need to relax, and you'll be fine. Deal with it one step at a time, you know?" Ryan asked.

"Not really." Wakka muttered.

"He's right Wakka. You're too edgy. Listen to the hymn and calm down." Lulu said calmly.

"That's coming from the temple?" Tidus questioned.

"Yes, it is Yevon's gift. It soothes the heart of the faithful." Yuna informed him.

"Jecht used to sing this song." Auron said, causing Tidus to turn to him.

"Yeah, over and over. But not this good, that's for sure." Tidus said with a laugh.

"Another trait you share."

"What, you were listening?" Tidus asked in shock. After a few minutes he decided to continue, "Say, how'd you get to Zanarkand anyway? Sin?" Auron didn't respond. "Uh-huh. Thought so."

"The singing stopped." Lulu pointed out. Sure enough it had gone dead quite suddenly.

"That can't be good." Ryan stated as the ground started to shake. It happened so quickly that he and Rikku were sent sprawling to the ground, and once again the light Al Bhed knocked the wind out of his lungs. When he opened his eyes from the initial pain he gasped, not just for air but from horror as well.

"There's something here!" Wakka yelled.

"The ground!" Auron yelled, and everyone looked down intently.

"Above!" Ryan managed to get out, despite the lack of oxygen in his lungs. He thought no one had heard him until Rikku lifted herself off him and looked up… before screaming in terror.

Looking at Rikku, and then following her gaze Yuna gasped. "Sin!"

"The toxin! Watch out!" Lulu cried. Too late thought, as the group was already starting to feel light headed and began to pass out one by one.

888

Rikku opened her eyes slowly, and groaned at the blazing sun directly above her. Slowly she came to realize that she was hot, immensely so too. Hotter then she'd ever been at Home, or out in the dessert that surrounded it. As she became more aware of her surrounding she noticed a familiar rag-tag hut and smiled. 'I'm back!' she thought as she squealed in delight.

There was a moan from somewhere behind the hut. Hurrying, Rikku jumped up and ran around to find Ryan waking up, and Matt sitting Indian style in what little shade he could find. Taking off Ryan's sweatshirt she threw it onto Matt's head. "What was that for?" He complained as he threw it at Ryan.

"Come on, you mean you didn't notice this nice, cool, welcoming hut here?" Rikku asked in disbelief.

"I just got up, what do you want from me?" Matt questioned. "And I was gonna study Al Bhed to pass the time, which you interrupted."

Rikku looked at him like he was stupid. "Hello? Anyone awake in there?" She asked, knocking on Matt's head while shaking her own. There was a crack as a thunderbolt hit the sand a few feet away, but still closes enough to cause Rikku to curl up into a little ball. She glared at him as he laughed.

And Ryan threw his sweatshirt at him, one of the sandy arms landing in Matt's mouth. He spit it out instantly while Ryan shook his head. "Don't you know you should do something like that? It's not good to eat sand." He said dryly.

"That was cruel Ryan. Just plain cruel." Matt said as he spit sand out of his mouth. "Anyway, what does it matter that I was studying Al Bhed?" Matt asked, turning to face Rikku.

"Hello, I am an Al Bhed! I could teach you if you'd have bothered to ask." She told him. Matt and Ryan thought about and realized how stupid they must seem. "Well, now that that's settled why don't we go into my hut and work in the shade?"

"This hut's yours?" Ryan asked. Rikku nodded and he shrugged. "Well, you've got your reasons for having your own hut in the middle of a dessert. I'm not gonna complain if it means getting out of this heat." Ryan said as he and Matt stood up and followed Rikku, who seemed happier then usual, into the hut.

"Okay, now listen up." Rikku said in as fake a teacher voice as she could manage. All three of them burst out laughing, and it took them awhile to regain control of themselves. "Okay, seriously. Al Bhed isn't that hard to learn. I mean, seriously, Ryan's been using it to yell at people lately."

"He has?" Matt asked. "Must've missed that one."

"So did I." Ryan said with a shrug.

"Anyway, if this idiot can be using it without knowing it then it can't be that hard to learn." Matt said, motioning for Rikku to continue.

"Right then." She said. "Let's get started." For the next twenty minutes Rikku explained the basics to them, how to translate from Spirian, which they knew as English, to Al Bhed. It seemed like it was just a code, and one that didn't take long to learn either. Two hours later they were speaking basic Al Bhed, but it was a quick start. "You know, I never would've expected you two to pick up on it so quickly."

"Neither did I." Ryan admitted. "I have no talent with languages whatsoever. Guess it's 'cause the grammar's the same as English, or Spirian, or whatever it's called here."

Rikku, who happened to be the only one who was facing the exit, waved suddenly. "Hey guys!" She said, pushing her way out of the hut and running towards the rest of the guardians. "Where's Yunie?"

"Gone." Tidus said sadly.

"Gone… some guardian I am." Lulu said in defeat.

"Hey, we were all unconscious, we couldn't have done anything even if we'd wanted to." Andy retorted in an agitated voice.

"Umm… there's something I wanna tell you, but you gotta promise not to say anything." Rikku said, looking at Wakka who was glaring at her. "And no glaring either." She stopped and waited until Wakka nodded. "I know where we are. We're on Bikanel island. There's a place us Al Bhed call HOME near here. Yunie's there. I'm sure of it! Other Al Bhed must've come and rescued her!" Rikku said happily.

"Rescued? You mean kidnapped!" Wakka retorted in so angry a voice that Ryan thought he might have to intervene.

"Who cares? She's safe right, and that's all that really matters." Matt pointed out.

"That's right! Anyway, I'll take you there if you promise… promise that you won't tell anyone about it. Especially not Yevonites, okay? You know how they don't like us. Who knows what they'd do?" Ryan couldn't help but wonder what this HOME Rikku was talking about looked like.

His train of thought was interrupted when Wakka practically yelled at Rikku, "Gimme a break. What are you accusing Yevon of this time?"

"Yevon did something really bad to us before." Rikku retorted.

"Yeah, well you…" Wakka died off when Matt and Ryan both gave him death glares from where they were.

"Come on Wakka, just promise so we can save Yuna!" Tidus pleaded.

"Oh, alright! I promise, just lead the way!" He roared in a defeated voice.

"You got it!" Rikku said happily. She picked a seemingly random direction and started walking. Everything pretty much looked the same, and it gave the Mi'Ihen Highroad a run for its title as the longest stretch of land/road ever. Eventually the encountered some ruins, inside of which were more powerful fiends then they'd been fighting, but several treasure chest with potions in them. Plus there were several signs written in Al Bhed, and a few of the stones with the cacti with eyes on them. Some of the signs didn't make sense, but one mentioned Home being just up ahead. When Rikku read it everyone was pretty sure that her smile was the biggest in the history of Spira, because there seemed no way it could be any bigger. "Over here!" she yelled, pointing over the sand dune they were on and taking off. When she got to the top she screamed and started running down it even faster then she'd run up it.

"Damn." Ryan muttered before charging up the hill as quickly as he could, which was significantly slower then normal since he was in the sand. "My god…" He whispered in horror when he jumped over the top of the hill. Spotting Rikku he pushed the burning onion like city ahead and started off again, quickly catching up to her. "Is this HOME?" He asked her hesitantly when they reached the entrance. She nodded, tears flowing freely from her eyes. "Stay here and wait for the others. I'll go in and see if there's anyone I can help."

"E's y vnehat uv Rikku's" Rikku managed to say before he left. He glanced back at her, thought about it for a second and gave her a comforting smile.

"Yeah, I'm a friend of Rikku's." He said as the others reached the top of the hill. "I'll be back." He said before running through the entrance. As soon as he entered he saw Guado, fiends, and Al Bhed, who weren't hard to pick, being the most human like of the group. 'Damn Guado! Is this because of us killing Seymour?' he wondered as he drew his sword and walked into the nearest group of fiends, which were little floating balls of fire with eyes and a mouth.

His sword flashed out several time and they dropped to the ground, pyreflies leaking out of them. He heard gunfire and looked around, spotting several Al Bhed trying to fight off a giant fire-breathing fiend with horns sticking out of its back. Its skin was an odd shade of blue, except for its four paws, which were brown. And it was shrugging the bullets off like they were flies. It charged, spearing two of them closest with its horns, and grabbing a third one in its powerful arms. Ryan growled and the thing dropped the guy and turned completely to face him. The Al Bhed were starring at him like he was insane.

"E's y vnehat uv Rikku's.(I'm a friend of Rikku's)" He yelled to them, and their jaws dropped. "Ku cusa… bmyla cyva. (Go some… place safe)" He said, hoping he was saying go some place safe. The Al Bhed nodded, helped the wounded one up, and hurried away, but not before one handed him a pistol.

"ihmesedat yssu. bnudald druca oui veht. yht tuh'd tea. (Unlimited Ammo. Protect those you find. And don't die.)" the Al Bhed said before running off with his allies. Ryan sat there, trying to figure out what the man had said completely, but was forced to stop when the dual horn started to charge him.

"Go to hell." Matt yelled as he fired an arrow, lined with lightning Ryan noted as it flew past him and into the dual horn's neck. The fiends stumbled for a second but didn't stop its charge.

With a growl Ryan charged forward, jumping into the air and spinning three times before his blade split through the thing's skull, coating him in its blood that faded with its corpse. "What was that brudda?" Wakka asked in disgust.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Kan Sen Arashi." Ryan said, looking at the gun in his hand. He sheathed his sword due to the lack of enemies. Suddenly a wounded Al Bhed struggled around a corner, turned and started firing on an unseen enemy. There was a cry, a spray of blood as a horn ran him through. The group ran over to help him, but saw the fiend collapse and burst into pyreflies only seconds after they arrived.

Rikku whimpered. "Keyakku! Who? Who's attack us? Fru tet drec du oui? (who did this to you?)" Rikku asked the dying man.

"Yevon… Guado…" He managed before his body went limp in her arms.

"Keyakku?" She asked quietly, her eyes widening in horror. "Keyakku!" She screamed when he didn't answer after several seconds, fresh tears running down her face as pyreflies began to leak out of Keyakku.

Ryan's hand was shaking in anger now, and he was well aware of the desire to walk around and slaughter every Guado he found, along with every fiend they brought with them.

"Drec ec fnuhk! Guado ku vun dra Summoner!" A man yelled in frustration as he rounded the same corner that Keyakku had come around.

"Vydran… (Father…)" Rikku whispered through her tears as he walked over to her and check Keyakku's pulse. When he didn't find one he sighed and shook his head.

"You Rikku's friends? Well don't just stand there, come on!" The man ordered, waving for them to follow him. "Let's go kick those Guado" his sentence was interrupted by three gun shots. Everyone turned to see two Guado drop to the ground, one with a bullet in its head, and the other clutching both its legs. Then they saw Ryan, hand shaking as he held fired the gun again, ending the remaining Guado's misery. "Out of our home!" he finished before giving Ryan an approving nod and walking into a nearby building.

"Who…" Tidus started.

"Cid, leader of the Al Bhed… he's my dad." Rikku informed them.

"Let's go." Tidus said, taking off towards the building Cid had entered.

"Yeah, we have to save Yunie!" Rikku said with a determination that nobody had seen in her.

"An all the Al Bhed we can." Ryan added as he took off after Tidus.

"Yeah!" Rikku agreed, thrusting a hand into the air. The friends walked into the building.

"Yuna! Where are you?" Wakka yelled, drawing the attention of a Guado and three of the bombs Ryan had fought earlier. The bombs made it to the group, but Ryan and Matt dropped the Guado before he took more then three feet towards them.

"You guys are really going at them." Tidus noted as he finished the first bomb. Suddenly a Blizzara spell killed the one next to him instantly. Then Kimahri shiskabobed the remaining one, leaving it unable to dodge Auron's ground crack cut.

"Hey Matt." Ryan said quietly. "First one to need more then two shots to drop a target losses." Ryan said quietly, but the echo in the silent room was loud and everyone looked at him like they'd never met him.

"What's wrong with you?" Andy asked having never seen Ryan so cold-hearted before.

"For every light in the world there is a equal darkness." Ryan stated. "This is my darkness."

"In other words, stay out of his way if you can." Matt informed the group who nodded. "And why two shots Ryan? Normally you'd be doing one."

"Figured you might need a second shot since arrows aren't as sturdy as bullets. Didn't want an unfair advantage." Ryan said simply. Suddenly a machine gun went off behind the group and they turned to see Andy peppering a chimera that was charging down the hall. "Armored." Ryan informed him. Suddenly two arrows shot out, each landing in one of the thing's eyes. It roared and Andy focused his assault down the thing's throat. "Well, on the outside anyway."

"Let's go!" Rikku demanded, leading the way through the burning and ruined building. For ten minutes they traveled through the building, picking up any surviving Al Bhed they came across.

Suddenly Cid's voice came over the speaker system in the building. "Drec peda! Rikku! Oui nayt sa? Oui ku ihtan duu! E ys majamehk RUSA! Yht dra veaht fedr ed! (This bite! Rikku! You read me? You go under too! I am leveling HOME! And the fiend with it!)" Ryan and Matt went pale really quick in the silence that followed.

"Tell me he was joking." Ryan muttered as he turned to Rikku. She shook her head sadly. "We need to get Yuna and get out of here, now! Where is she?"

"What'd he say?" Wakka demanded.

"He's gonna level HOME, and all the fiend with it." Matt replied shakily.

"Yunie's in the Summoner's Sanctum! This way!" Rikku yelled, leading them down a hallway. She nearly ran into a Guado who was in the process of calling a dual horn to its side. With a face as cold as stone she shoved her blades through his back, right into his heart. For a second he jerked, and then he fell to the ground limply. Ryan and Matt took care of the dual horn as soon as it turned to face them, clearing the way for them and several Al Bhed.

"This place is done for." Wakka stated after they were through the door. Ryan slapped him in the arm with the butt of his gun

"You're right." Rikku admitted, fighting to hold back the tears that were quickly building up in her eyes. "You're right, Wakka. We Al Bhed… we weren't always like this. Sin destroyed the island where we all used to live. After that we scattered to every corner of Spira. But then, my dad brought the Al Bhed together again. If we few put our minds to it and worked together, then we could make a new home. Everyone worked hard, we had our home back again… but now… why did things have to turn out this way?" yelled, turning and leaning into Wakka who was the nearest person.

"Rikku…" He said quietly, wrapping one arm around her as comfortingly as he could. He clenched his blitzball so tightly Andy thought it might explode at any second. "Damn those Guado, what are they thinking?"

"Rikku, what is the Summoner's Sanctum?" Lulu questioned once the young Al Bhed had regained her self control.

"The Summoner's Sanctum is where we keep the Summoners. We keep them safe here." She explained, wiping her eyes dry.

"You kidnapped them." Wakka said quietly.

"I know it's against the teachings and all that…" Rikku said, dieing off.

"I get why you did it, but…"

"Mind explaining then?" Andy questioned. Nobody answered him.

"It's quiet. Kimahri go now." Kimahri said before walking down a set of stairs.

By the time they found a room with Dona and Issaru in it they had more then two dozen Al Bhed traveling with them, each wielding his or her own weapon of choice and each protecting the children they'd had with them.

"Yuna!" Kimahri shouted into the large room.

"She's not here." Dona said, stepping forward. "Hello again. Wait here until we've preformed the sending." She instructed as Issaru walked over towards them.

"They died protecting us. It's not much, but the least we can do is give them a proper sending." He explained before he started to perform the sending with Dona. While the two Summoners were busy Pacce walked over to Tidus.

"Hey, what's 'sacrificed'? The Al Bhed said Summoners were being 'sacrificed'. That Summoners shouldn't have to do a pilgrimage…" He explained.

"Why couldn't they just trust guardians to protect the Summoners!" Tidus yelled. "The Al Bhed had no right stopping their pilgrimage!"

"The pilgrimages have to stop!" Rikku yelled. "If they don't, and they get to Zanarkand… They might defeat Sin. Yunie could… but then she… she'd die, you know? You know, don't you? Summoners journey to get the final Aeon! Yunie told you, didn't she? With the final Aeon Yunie can defeat Sin. But then… but then… if she calls it the final Aeon's gonna kill her! Even if she defeats Sin, it will kill Yunie too, you know!" Rikku finished and started crying while sitting on the ground.

"Was I the only one who didn't know?" Tidus demanded.

"We didn't either." Ryan stated.

"Tell me why!" Tidus yelled as he bent down so he was on the same level as the Al Bhed. "Why were you hiding it? Why didn't"

"Tidus!" Ryan yelled suddenly. Tidus stood up and turned to Ryan, tears running freely down his face.

"Shut up! Aren't you angry that they didn't" Tidus was stopped in mid sentence when Ryan's backhand connected with his jaw, knocking him to the ground. Everyone in the room gasped and starred in amazement. "What the hell?"

"You finished whining yet, because we don't have anymore time to waste." Ryan said through clenched teeth. "If Yuna's not here, then she's probably not in HOME at all. That means that if we die here, Yuna won't have anyone to save her from whoever took her."

"Don't you think we tried to stop her, Tidus?" Lulu asked in a gentle tone. "She follows… her heart."

"Yuna, she knew what she was doing when she choose to become a Summoner? To face Sin, ya? She knew!" Wakka added in.

"But Wakka, that's just totally wrong! Summoners shouldn't have to sacrifice themselves… so the rest of Spira can be happy, right?"

Suddenly a dual horn appeared, stepping out from behind a bunch of flames. "But that is our choice." Issaru said as he summoned his own version of Ifrit, while Dona summoned her Valefor.

"We all live in fear of Sin." Dona added. "You know that."

"A world without Sin… that is the dream of all of Yevon's children. And we will use that power, even if it means our lives!" Issaru stated firmly. Tidus ran over to Valefor.

"And all this time I've been telling Yuna… let's go to Zanarkand together! Let's beat Sin! I told her all the things we could… we could… and all along, the whole time, I didn't know anything! But Yuna, she'd… just smile." Tidus ended by sliding to the floor in front of Valefor. "I can't let her die! I'll find her!" He declared, rising with a sudden determination shining in his eyes.

"Then let's get out of here. Rikku, lead!" Ryan yelled.

"Right!" Rikku said, leading the group through the halls and into a hanger. "Fryd'c fnuhk vydran? (What's wrong father?)" She asked when she saw Cid leaning over a computer console.

"The doors are jammed, and Keyakku was the only one who could type it fast enough to get the doors open in time." Cid explained in a dejected voice.

"What do you need to type?" Rikku asked. "I'm not as fast as Keyakku, but I'm not gonna sit here and die!" Cid handed her a two pages, front and back of random letters and codes. Rikku paled. "How long do we have?" She asked.

"Five minutes, maybe a little bit more." Cid said crossly. "Forget it, we'll make our own way" He stopped before he could finish his sentence because Ryan had shoved him out of the way and was looking at the keyboard, smiling. "This isn't the time to be smiling boy! We've got to reroute power so that we can blow this door open."

"Relax. If there's anyone here alive that can type that in five minutes, it's Ryan." Matt said with a laugh. "We'll keep the fiends at bay, you get that door open."

"Right." Ryan said in a carefree voice. "Rikku, lemme see that." He said, pointing to book.

"You've only got four minutes kid, there's…" Cid's complaint die in his throat as he watched Ryan type. "Rikku fru ec drec get? Ra dobac vycdan drah sucd Al Bhed! (Rikku who is this kid? He types faster then most Al Bhed!)" Cid questioned.

Matt grinned. "Who is he? In our world, almost everyone has a computer. And almost everyone is fast at typing. And Ryan's faster then most of the people who _teach _typing. And just as accurate too." He told them. "He scares people back home," Matt said as he looked at his shocked friends, "and he shocks people here."

"How much time do I have left?" Ryan asked as he began the third page.

"Three and a half minutes…" Cid said absently. "Brother, bnabyna du myihlr! (Brother, prepare to launch!)" Cid yelled. Someone yelled back and ran onto the ship.

"Done." Ryan said. Everyone but Andy and Matt looked at him in shock. "What? Thought I told you I was a social outcast." He said simply. "Save the questions for later, I'd rather not educate the dead." He added as Wakka and Lulu both took a breath, probably to voice the question that was running through everyone from Spira.

"Right, everyone on. If you aren't on when we leave, I'm leaving you behind." Cid directed before boarding the ship himself. When the group got on board there was lots of shouting, mostly between Cid and the leader of the Al Bhed who'd attacked them at the Macalania Travel Agency.

"Where's Yuna?" Tidus yelled to Cid, who promptly ignored him and continued to prep the ship for launch. Apparently Tidus had run out of patience, because he started to walk towards Cid.

"Whoa!" Andy yelled as he and Matt grabbed Tidus by the arms and held him back.

"Lemme go! He knows where Yuna is!" Tidus cried.

"Tidus, you're about to get into a fist fight with the leader of the people who we're getting a ride with. Not to mention the fact that it's a ride that's gonna save our life." Matt pointed out, which calmed Tidus down a little. "Look, I don't care if you wanna fight with Cid or not, just save it until _after _we're in the air, and not about to blow up.

"What'll you do when you find her?" Cid questioned Tidus.

"I didn't know anything about what a Summoner's supposed to do. And I told her all those things without even thinking. I've got to tell her. I've got to tell her I'm sorry!" Tidus replied.

"That's it? You're gonna tell her your sorry?" Cid asked in a disgusted voice. "And then you just drag her off to Zanarkand and make her fight Sin, huh? You're all the same-let the Summoner die so we can live in peace!" At this he reached for Tidus, but stopped instantly when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He glanced to his right and saw Ryan starring him in the eye. "What the? Impossible, you're over there!" He said, looking back at the after image of him standing next to Rikku. Slowly it was fading away. He snorted. "Magic. Tsh."

"Wrong." Ryan said. "I'm fast, but enough about that. Who said anything about letting Yuna die? Hmmm?" Ryan questioned.

"Yeah! I won't let Yuna die!" Tidus agreed.

"Yeah? Words, hah! Show me action!" Cid snorted in disbelief. "How would you save her anyway?"

"Oh, I think I have an idea!" Matt piped up, drawing all attention to him. "Rikku said that it's the final Aeon that kills the Summoners, and not Sin. So we just kill Sin without the final Aeon, how hard could it be?"

"Are you insane?" Lulu gasped.

"It's certainly very possible." Matt admitted with a shrug. Cid grinned.

"I like that kid. Only one problem. If it was possible to kill Sin without the final Aeon, wouldn't someone have done it already?" Cid questioned. Ryan, Andy, and Matt laughed. "What?"

"Sorry, couldn't expect you to know this. But maybe you know the last time three gods fought Sin?" Andy asked.

"Three gods… what are you babbling about?" Cid demanded.

"Long story. You see" Ryan was cut off by the scream of an Al Bhed.

"Cid! Dra lrynkac teth'd kud uvv! (Cid! The charges didn't go off!)" One he yelled.

"Tysh! (Damn)!" Cid yelled. "Ymnekrd, fa'mm pmuf ed ib fedr dra vunpettah machina! (Alright, we'll blow it up with the forbidden machina!)" Cid ordered.

"What's wrong?" Wakka questioned.

"The charges didn't blow, so we're gonna blow home up with the forbidden machina." Rikku said dejectedly.

"You four." Cid said, looking at Tidus, Matt, Andy, and Ryan. "Don't ever forget those words. Gods or not, I'll make you regret it if you do."

"Vydran! (Father!)" Rikku's brother yelled.

"Vena! (Fire!)" Cid ordered back, the name of the god of fire not escaping the notice of Andy, Auron, Matt, or Ryan.

'Wait… if Vena is fire in Al Bhed, then maybe Dnortih and Lusniec mean something!' Matt thought, glancing over at Ryan who was also contemplating the connection.

Auron chuckled to himself as they realized the names were just words in Al Bhed. Vena, fire, God of Fire; Dnortih, thunder, God of Thunder; and finally Lusniec, Michael, strongest of the angels.

Everyone's thoughts were interrupted when the Al Bhed began to sing the Hymn of the Fayth. Wakka was looking around in amazement, but before he could say anything the airship jerked, and then there was a loud explosion. Rikku ran over to the window, watching sadly as the first explosion set off one of the charges, which exploded and set of another, and explosion continued to occur until HOME had been leveled.

"Gah-hah-hah-hah! Nadinh du dra cyht! (Return to the sand!)" Cid yelled, oblivious to the fact that he'd just blown his own home to ashes. Brother started crying and Cid turned to him. "Hu haat vun daync! Fryd'c kuut ypuid machina, ec drao lyh pa piemd yhaf, oui caa? (No need for tears! What's good about machina, is they can be built anew, you see?)" Cid asked, and Brother nodded, still crying.

"Hey, look. Don't get so down." Wakka said to Rikku when she walked back to the group. "Boom! Like happy festival fireworks, ya?" It was an obvious attempt to cheer her up, but it didn't work.

"You can cram you happy festival, you big meanie!" Rikku yelled at him before running off the bridge.

"Was it something I said?" Wakka asked honestly.

"Words just aren't your thing Wakka." Matt said, patting him on the shoulder. "You try, so don't worry about it." At this Ryan sighed, shrugged, and started off after Rikku. "And there goes the world's youngest, unofficial psychiatrist now."

"What're you talking about brudda?" Wakka asked.

"Ryan has a talent for getting even the shyest people to open up to him. It's just something he's been doing for pretty much as long as I can remember." Matt informed. "Guess it does help that he was pretty much raised by girls though…"

"Maybe." Andy agreed.

"But by doing so, he takes on everyone else's problem. He has the tendency to forget that he has to worry about himself sometimes." Matt added. "Oh well."

"So you know where Yuna is?" Tidus asked Cid hopefully.

"Of course not! That's why we're gonna look, using this airship!" Cid replied.

"Airship?" Wakka repeated.

"Airship." Matt confirmed.

"Oh boy, wait till the boys back home hear about this one." Wakka muttered to himself.

888

"Rin?" Ryan questioned in surprise. The happy Al Bhed travel agency owner turned and smiled at him.

"Rammu. E ys kmyt oui ymcu syta ed uid ymeja. (Hello. I am glad you also made it out alive.)" Rin informed him before realizing that he was speaking in Al Bhed. "My apologizes. How comes your study of our language?"

"Knayd. Ed dygac yfrema du kad icat du, pid uhla oui'ja ku dra ryhk uv ed, ed'c ylidymmo naymmo cesbma du maynh. (Great. It takes awhile to get used to, but once you've go the hang of it, it's acutally really simple to learn.)" Ryan replied almost instinctively. "Anyway, where's Rikku? Did she come through here?"

Rin nodded. "Yes, and she seemed very torn up about something." Rin informed the reincarnated angel.

"Well? Where did she go?" Ryan asked when Rin didn't continue.

"I believe she went over there." Rin said, pointing to a room farther along the corridor.

"Dryhg oui! (Thank you!)" Ryan yelled as he sprinted over to the door Rin had pointed to. Sure enough there was Rikku, looking out a small window and crying. She stiffened when Ryan opened the door, but didn't turn around. "Hey." He said quietly, walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Hi." Rikku whispered her reply, still not turning around. Ryan walked up behind her but stopped, unsure of what he could possibly say to someone who'd just seen so many of her friends die, and had her home blown up by her own father, even if he didn't want to do it. He took a deep breath, deciding to point out that Wakka had been trying to cheer her up, but she turned around and buried her face into his chest, wrapping her arms around him with more strength then he'd thought possible for someone with so small a frame. "Why'd this have to happen? Why couldn't they just leave us alone? We were just trying to save the Summoners, is that so wrong?" She asked between sobs that were quickly being absorbed by Ryan's sweatshirt. "Why does everyone hate us? And why does everyone keep blowing up our home? It's not fair!"

Ryan looked down at the Al Bhed and wrapped an arm around her more on instinct then anything. "Not everyone hates you." He said quietly. She looked up at him, tears still streaming down her face. He wiped one away while saying, "Me and Matt and Andy don't hate Al Bhed. And neither do Auron, or Kimahri, or Tidus, or Yuna, or Lulu. And I think Wakka's coming around, slowly, but coming around none the less."

"But so many still hate us! They blame us for Sin still being here!" Rikku replied.

Ryan shook his head. "They're just afraid, and that's what the Maesters of Yevon tell them. But we'll change that! We'll show them that the Al Bhed aren't the reason for Sin being here!" Ryan said gently. "We'll show them all that they were wrong, whether they want to admit it or not."

Rikku smiled slightly. "Yeah!"

"And we'll rebuild HOME too! And we'll make sure that nobody can blow it up!"

"Yeah!" Rikku agreed, a little louder this time.

"And then we can all live happily! Without having to worry about Yevonites attacking!"

"Yeah!" Rikku yelled in her normal voice. She stopped and wiped the tears away. "Thanks." She said, hugging Ryan a little tighter.

"What are friends for?" Ryan replied simply. "Wakka tried, but he isn't very good with words. Or knowing what to say. Or anything that involves intelligence come to think of it…" Ryan added sarcastically. Rikku giggled at the comment and Ryan's smile grew in size. "There we go."

"What?" Rikku asked in confusion.

"Being sad doesn't suit you. It's just not Rikku." He said. Rikku thought about it for a second, lessening her grip on him slightly, and then nodded. "So what do you say we cheer up. As long as there are still Al Bhed in the world, there will always be a good chance to rebuild HOME. I mean, you did it once already, right?"

"Right!" Rikku agreed.

"Rikku! We found Yuna! Get up here, and bring that boy toy of yours with you, I've got a few things to say to him!" Cid's voice rang out over the intercom.

"Boy toy… Does he think that we're going out?" Ryan asked, looking down at the smiling girl wrapped in his arms. It did feel right; he wasn't going to deny that much.

"It looks that way." Rikku said with a giggle. "But dad's always been overprotective. He'll probably say something like, "She cleared her throat and said the next part in a Cid like voice, "You ever hurt my daughter, I'll kill you. Understand? Good, now get ready to go save my niece!"

The two laughed as they walked out of the room and turned towards the bridge. As they reached the bridge they saw a big movie of Yuna playing, her hair back in a ponytail and wearing a wedding dress. She was standing next to Seymour, who was in an outfit Ryan, Matt, and Andy could only guess was a groom's outfit.

"What the hell is with this guy?" Andy complained. "What, do we have to kill him twice or something? Or do the dead just not stay… well, dead."

"He's become an unsent." Lulu informed him. "Yuna is probably going to try and send him."

"Well let's go help her!" Tidus cried out. "Gramps!"

"Easy, kiddo. Bevelle's defenses are top-notch." Cid replied.

"What's the matter, scared? Yuna's there! So we go there and get her! And that's all!" Tidus told the Al Bhed leader.

"That's right. We'll cut down anyone who gets in our way. After all, we've got a job to do, right?" Ryan asked.

Cid grinned. "I like you guys. You've got guts." He turned to Brother and gave an order in Al Bhed. There was a sudden increase in the speed, one so violent it nearly toppled the entire group. "It'll take awhile to get to Bevelle. In the meantime"

"We prepare for battle!" Tidus yelled. Before they could leave the control room the entire ship shook, and Rin came running onto the bridge.

"We are being attacked from within. Some of the Guado who attacked HOME must have snuck on board." He informed them.

"Well you're awfully calm about it." Cid noted.

"I am calm about most things." Rin replied.

"So we've noticed." Matt muttered.

"Fiends! There's nothing to do but"

"But destroy the ship and all go down together!" Rikku finished for here dad, drawing a confused look from Cid. "You gotta learn a little restraint pops. If you crash the ship, we can't go rescue Yunie! Leave the fiends to us professionals!"

"Yeah. Besides, if it weren't for you, we'd have bite the big one back at HOME. We owe you one." Matt pointed out as he hefted Lightning Edge. "Besides, nothing better to relieve a little stress is there?"

"Yeah, and we all know you could use a little 'anger management' too, Matt." Ryan added, drawing a laugh from everyone in the cabin.

"Thanks everyone." Rikku said quietly. The two nodded before the group started towards the door.

"Rikku, you've made some very good friends, I think." Rin told her as she walked by. "But perhaps more?"

"Shut up Rin!" Rikku said playfully, blushing as she ran to catch up with the others.

"That was it? That was all they could do?" Andy asked sadly as they walked up into the cabin area. "Man, three fiends on the whole ship. That's so boring."

"Huh, now there's a rare sight." Auron muttered.

"Oh boy. That can't be good if it's rare to Auron." Ryan muttered as he turned to see a Chinese dragon with red scales, leathery wings, and horns up its head. "Wonderful."

"Whoa, that's huge!" Tidus cried, alerting the group that he'd seen the dragon.

"What is that?" Rikku questioned.

Lulu provided the answer, "The guardian wyrm, Evrae. The great sacred beast-guardian protector of Bevelle." She informed them, fear creeping into her voice slightly.

"The red carpet has teeth." Auron muttered.

"Damn, losing your nerve their Lulu?" Ryan questioned. She didn't reply, just watched Evrae.

"Hey, if that's the great protector of Bevelle, wouldn't that mean we're close to Bevelle?" Andy wondered aloud.

"Rikku, do you read me?" Cid asked over the comlink. "We're going to fight that thing. Get on deck and show him what you got! Go!"

"There he goes again." Rikku said, shaking her head helplessly.

"The ferryman asks a high price." Auron said before walking towards and elevator near Rin. They exchanged a few words before Auron walked onto the elevator, waiting for the others.

After purchasing several things from Rin, and after Ryan had given Andy his Kunai so he'd have something to attack the flying creature with other then magic, the group joined Auron on the elevator.

'This is gonna be interesting.' Ryan thought as they reached the deck of the airship. The wind was whipping by so fast that it was hard to hear the person next to you unless they were yelling, but as they slowed down it became bearable.

"We gotta keep our distance, boys, but we can't let her get too far away." Cid's voice boomed over the ship's loudspeaker. "You all have to tell me when to move!" Evrae started to maneuver towards the ship. "But tell me quick, eh? This rig ain't so nimble, you hear?"

"Roger!" Tidus yelled. "I'll give the commands!"

"Not alone you won't!" Rikku informed him. "I am an Al Bhed after all."

"I think we've got more urgent matters on our hands then who's going to give the commands to Cid!" Andy yelled as he hurled a Kunai at the creature. It had more then enough distance, but apparently Evrae was armored.

"Yeah, this is gonna take some doing." Ryan muttered as he, Matt, Wakka, and Lulu opened up on the thing, hitting it with everything they had. Wakka's blitzball didn't do much of anything until he started adding a cloud of darkness to it. Blinded Evrae could do little more then thrash about helplessly, hoping to hit the group. And the thing shrugged Lu's magic off like it had barely felt it, and Ryan's gun wasn't doing much damage against the armored hide either.

As the vision-impairing darkness began to dissipate Rikku yelled for Cid to move away just as Evrae inhaled. Seconds later the ship responded, but it was too late for Tidus and Ryan to avoid the green fog that was a lot more dangerous then it appeared to be. Instantly the two felt the poison beginning to course through their veins.

"Ryan, Tidus!" Rikku shouted, grabbing a bottle out of a pocket before running towards the two. She was nearly there when the guardian of Bevelle swooped in, slashing the two with its tail. Despite being poisoned, and going blind, and being light headed, they managed to block most of the attack. But not enough of it. Their friends looked on in horror as they were launched off the ship. "Ryan! Tidus!" Rikku screamed, falling to her knees in disbelief.

"I summon you, Suzaku!" Andy yelled, hurling a giant ball of fire at the monster. As it soared through the air it slowly changed into a phoenix, but not quickly enough. Evrae's front most horn glowed yellow and then started shooting out millions of tiny little balls of energy. Even the flames of the heir to the powers of the god of fire couldn't stand against the strength of the assault. Andy watched in horror as Suzaku screeched in pain before dissipating into ashes.

"Vydran! Red ed fedr ymm dra seccemac fa ryja! (Father! Hit it with all the missiles we have!)" Rikku shouted.

"Ymm uv dras? (All of them?)" Cid shouted in disbelief. Before his daughter could reply a yellow cloud drifted by, catching her attention and seeming impossibly out of place. Her eyes widened in a mix of horror and surprise as pyreflies started to leak out of it.

"Rikku!" Auron shouted, turning to see the Al Bhed starring at the cloud, entranced by the scene. "Rikku! Move it!" He shouted again. The Al Bhed stood up hastily, nearly falling over the edge herself, and turned back to fight the thing that had killed two of her best friends.

* * *

and there we have it! what's gonna happen to Ryan and Tidus? and what's with the yellow, pyrefly leaking cloud? well i know, but you're gonna have to wait until my next update. so until then, read, review, and spread word of my fic if it isn't too much of a problem. new fans are always welcome! oh yeah! one last thing, i have to give a shout out to my friend rachel, because 'mad passionate monkey sex' is her's, as far as i know. well, she's the only one i've ever heard use it. 


	12. They Have Wings!

muwahahahahahahahahah! i'm back, did you miss me? well regradless, sorry it took so long to update again. now, onto the review replies!

Shadow Beastl- welcome! thanks for the compliment. i'm glad you think this is one of the better FF10 AU's out there.

Sephirothxx- yes, convincing wakka and tidus that rikku and i were having sex was... easy? especially when matt leant me a hand. and as for the yellow cloud... you'll have to read to find out. muwahahahahahahah!

Sejast Fanel- yes, i know you hate me. most people who know me do for some reason. and i'm glad i have addicting plot lines. and i didn't know that you still had all SoC and my LoD one. what's the other one you were talking about, my LoD one with Soa in it?

labrat-seph- sorry, strike one, care to guess again? i don't have anything to do with the yellow cloud. and yeah, we all love good old Cid cursing at every one. yes, wakka and tidus are thick enough to fall for such a trick. that's why it was them that fell for it. as for the guado destorying home thing, i understand your point. i just don't like'em, that's all. or at least, i don't like those ones that were at the attack on home. and as for seymour, yeah, he had a messed up child hood. and he's a halfbreed, but still, wouldn't that be a reason to be MORE accepting of people? maybe that's just me, and your are entitled to your opinion. as for the proofreading... "THANK YOU!" i would like that. leave your e-mail when you review this chapter.

Da KeR MysTeRr- man, that sux. Sephirothxx was having problems reviewing too. but i don't understand why the server would be overloaded... maybe i have lots of fans that just aren't reviewing? that'd sux, so if i do, please review. anyway, yes, everyone has like the part with ryan and rikku and matt's trick on wakka and tidus. in the words of labrat-seph: how thick do you have to be to fall for that old trick? and i'm glad you're still reading it, and so excited.

and now, on to the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 12:They have Wings!

Tidus couldn't believe that it was over. He'd been so close to saving Yuna. And then he got knocked of a flying ship by a stupid dragon. 'This is so stupid! I can't die here!' He thought as he raced towards the ground.

"Tidus!" Ryan yelled. The blitzer looked over at him dully. "Up there!" Ryan informed him, pointing up towards the airship. Tidus looked up and saw lights coming towards them.

'No. Those are… pyreflies!' He realized as the first one touched him. 'What are pyreflies doing here?' More and more continued to come until a ball of the things surrounded the two boys. "Ryan, what is going on?"

"I have no idea." Ryan admitted. There was a bright flash, so bright that it hurt the boys' eyes even after they'd squeezed them shut as tightly as they could.

"So you two are her guardians." A man called out as the light faded. "Well, you certainly don't appear to be much from where I'm standing. But then again, appearances can be deceiving I suppose. And you have protected her no matter what the danger."

"You look familiar…" Ryan stated uncertainly.

"Yeah!" Tidus agreed. The man smiled, his long robes shuffling gently in the slight breeze.

"Do I? I'm sorry, I forgot that neither of you are from Spira." The man said.

"Now I remember!" Tidus shouted. "You were with Auron and my Dad! Your Yuna's dad!"

The man nodded. "I am High Summoner Braska, one of the few who has defeated Sin."

"So what does a dead High Summoner want with the two of us?" Ryan questioned. Braska chuckled.

"The next part of Yuna's road will be the most dangerous yet. By killing Seymour, and being branded a traitor of Yevon, she will find little welcome anywhere in Spira." Braska said gravely. "She will need all the help she can get. The two of you can't die now."

"Well, we don't have much of a choice." Ryan pointed out. "But if we can't die now, that must be why you're here."

"It is. I cannot sit by ideally and watch my own daughter die. So I will give you my wings." Braska told them quietly.

"Your wings? You've got wings?" Ryan asked in surprise. Braska chuckled and shook his head.

"You'll understand soon enough. Just remember always that they are not the Fayth's dream alone. They are the dream of anyone who wish for their help, and truly wish to defeat Sin." Braska said as the light began to brighten again. "Remember, they will always be there when you need them…"

And then they were falling again. "Shit!" Ryan cried out when the pyreflies disappeared. Panic began to rise inside him, and he struggled to force it back down.

"What he meant by 'I will give you my wings' is something we need to know now!" Tidus yelled out.

"I know!" Ryan cried out. He started going over the conversation in his head. 'Braska had said that they weren't the dream of the Fayth alone, and that they're the dream of anyone who wishes to defeat Sin, or wishes for their help. What was he talking about?' Ryan wondered. 'Sin, the Fayth, and dreams. Wait!'

"Hurry up!" Tidus shouted.

"The Aeons are given to the Summoners by Fayth so they can defeat Sin, right?" Ryan yelled back. Tidus nodded. "That's what he was talking about! He gave one of us an Aeon!" Tidus stared at him like he'd just grown three more legs and another nose, but Ryan didn't care. 'They'll be there for anyone who needs help. Well, I think that qualifies as us right now.' Ryan thought. He closed his eyes and pictured the only Aeon that he could think of with wings. 'Please, help us.' He thought, concentrating on the image of Yuna's first Aeon.

888

Even Auron was quickly being worn down by the guardian's powerful attacks. After disposing o f Tidus and Ryan, Evrae had decided that the group was dangerous. Once it had decided that it decided to use the same attack it had used on Suzaku. Repeatedly. The entire deck of the airship was covered in black scorches from where the balls of energy had touched it. And the remaining guardians weren't in much better shape then the deck was.

'This isn't working.' Auron thought, frantically trying to find a weakness in the monster's fighting style. It was fast, agile, armored, and resistant to Magic. And it had survived more missile attacks then Auron thought possible for anything short of Sin.

"We're not gonna make it, are we?" And questioned quietly.

"Perhaps." Auron admitted. "It certainly wouldn't seem like we will."

"Well, at least you're--" Andy stopped in mid-sentence. "Auron. What the hell is that?" He asked, pointing to a spot nearly hidden behind Evrae. A glyph was forming in the air, slowly growing brighter and larger.

There was a loud shattering sound as a blur shot through the glyph, flying down beneath the ship before anyone aside from Andy and Auron could see it. "What was that?" Rikku cried out in surprised.

Auron smirked and Andy grinned widely. "Hope." They said in unison, drawing confused glance from their allies.

"Hope?" Wakka repeated.

"Yeah. We may not be dead after all." Andy told him.

888

Ryan and Tidus heard the shattering of something, even from so far below the airship. Ryan opened his eyes in time to see a silver blur flying towards them. "What is that!" Tidus yelled to Ryan. Ryan was about to say something when a familiar calming presence washed over him, the same feeling he'd gotten every time he'd seen Valefor.

"That's our ride." He yelled back as the thing flew down in between them. Suddenly they landed on a large, muscular chest, and turned around to see an Aeon that looked like Valefor, bud was black in the center and slowly faded to silver. "Well, I guess it's time we made our last minute rescue, eh?" Ryan asked as the Aeon began to fly up towards the airship.

"Yeah." Tidus agreed eagerly.

888

"Hey, what happened to that hope you guys were talking about bruddas?" Wakka demanded. He was exhausted from battling the dragon that refused to fall.

"Good question." Andy admitted as Evrae came in for another attack. "Damn you. Why don't you die?"

Evrae roared its reply, twisting so that it was ready to use the same attack that had knocked Ryan and Tidus off the airship earlier. As it was about to hit the group there was a gunshot and Evrae's head jerked, then it jerked again when there was another gunshot. It tried to retreat but the blur returned, slamming into and driving it higher into the air.

"What the hell is that?" Matt questioned, not sure whether to be worried or relieved by the appearance of the blur. Evrae screeched in pain as the blur raked it with its claws, drawing blood from Evrae for the first time in the battle.

"An Aeon?" Auron wondered in a surprised voice. Everyone looked at him but he didn't explain.

888

Ryan and Tidus were desperately trying to not be thrown off of the Aeon's back as it circled around Evrae to attack again. "Maybe we should get onto the airship?" Tidus suggested, starting to lose his grip.

Suddenly the Aeon flew over to the airship, still facing Evrae. "I think it heard you." Said as the two let go of the Aeon and dropped to the deck of the airship.

"You're alive!" Lulu said in a surprised voice.

"Did you expect anything else?" Ryan asked sarcastically. "It's the whole hero thing. Last minute rescues and stuff like that. I'm sure you understand." He added, earning a chuckle from everyone in the group. "Okay! Energy Ray, Kaze!" Ryan yelled to the Aeon.

"Kaze?" Auron repeated in an odd tone. "That's its name?"

Ryan shrugged. "Dunno, but it seems fitting for a flying Aeon. It does mean 'wind' after all." Ryan informed them. Another cry from Bevelle's guardian drew the group's attention back to Evrae who was falling towards the ground and disappearing into pyreflies.

"Finally!" Wakka said thankfully as Kaze started to disappear in pyreflies.

"Thanks." Ryan whispered quietly as he watched it go. Suddenly he was tackled from behind, both him and his assailant falling to the deck from the attack. He looked over and noticed a familiar glove pushing his attacker up off the deck. "Nice to… see you too Rikku." He said as he turned around and saw the grinning Al Bhed girl.

Before Tidus could make any snide comments Cid's voice came over the intercom. "We're losing power. Get backing here!" He ordered the group.

"Tough luck you two." Tidus said with a grin as he passed, causing both of them to blush before getting up and joining their friends.

"Ryan, come here." Auron requested before Ryan could enter the bridge.

"What's up?"

"That Aeon you and Tidus were riding. That was Braska's." Auron informed him. "How did you get it?"

"From Braska." Ryan said simply. "Did you see the yellow cloud in the sky?" Auron shook his head. "Well it was a cloud from the Farplane. And the pyreflies it was letting out, those were Braska. He said that Yuna was going to need all the help she could get, and that we couldn't die now."

"I see."

"Yep." Ryan finished before going into the bridge. "So what's up?"

"We're almost to Bevelle!" Tidus informed him.

"And blonde won't calm down." Matt muttered. "He's gonna get hurt soon."

"Well that's not good." Ryan said as he watched Tidus who was constantly pacing around the bridge.

"Alright we're pretty much there. Get yourselves to the cargo bay." Cid informed them. "We'll get you there, the rest is up to you."

"Right pops!" Rikku said happily, leading the way through the airship. When they reached the cargo bay they could hear the sound of gunshots coming from outside the airship. "They're using guns!"

"Oh yeah. That's great." Andy complained. "So how are we getting down to Bevelle anyway?"

"On those!" Rikku was pointing towards two harpoons with long, thick cables attached to them. "Dad's gonna shoot them into the bridge, and then we've got to slide down them."

"Oh boy." Matt muttered, sharing an uncertain glance with Ryan and Andy.

"Something wrong?" Lulu questioned.

"No, just never done anything like this before. We don't have as good balance as the rest of you." Ryan explained, Matt and Andy nodding in agreement.

"Don't look down." Auron said quietly as the hanger bays opened up. The harpoons fired out and struck the bridge. Everyone jumped onto the cables except Matt, Andy, and Ryan.

"This is gonna be hell." Ryan stated before jumping onto the cables uncertainly. He was more then a little surprised at how quickly he picked up speed on the cables. And something he found even more surprising was that despite his lack of balance compared to the rest of Yuna's guardians, he didn't have much trouble staying on the cables. Nor did Matt or Andy who were yelling for him to speed up. He grinned and leaned forward, being careful to keep his balance. Up ahead his friends had just reached the bridge and were battling some guards and machina. 'What are Machina doing at the city that's the heart of Yevon?' he wondered as he jumped off the cable and drew his sword.

"What kept you?" Auron grunted to them as he blocked a kick from one Machina before countering with an overhand swing that cut it in half.

"Sorry, took a wrong turn." Andy said as jumped into the fray. The first guy he met with fell to the ground gripping his bloodied hand and screaming in pain, while the guy behind him ran off with flames covering his uniform.

"Jeez, overkill Andy." Ryan muttered as he flipped his blade around and charged a group of soldiers who were leveling their guns at the guardians. There were mummers of confusion when he disappeared, but they were quickly silenced when Ryan appeared behind the group, his sword knocking people out with each swing.

'Who are these people?' Kinoc wondered as he watched in horror as his security force was slowly being beaten back. Growling he grabbed a gun from a nearby soldier and fired it at Tidus, nearly hitting the blitzer. "This has gone far enough." He growled as guards surrounded the guardians.

"Stop, Tidus!" Auron ordered the blitzer who looked like he was going to charge Kinoc.

Behind Kinoc Yuna pulled out her rod, and stepped away from Seymour. "You would play at marriage just for a chance to send me? Your resolved is admirable. All the more fitting to be my lovely wife." Seymour told her.

Yuna was about to begin her sending when Mika spoke up. "Stop! Do you not value your friends' lives? Your actions determine their fate. Protect them… or throw them away. The choice is yours." The ancient man informed Yuna.

"That's low." Ryan muttered as Yuna dropped her rod.

"You are wise." Seymour commented as he leaned in. Everyone in the group felt a wave of disgust roll over them as he kissed their friend, whose fist was clenched to keep her from backing away. "Kill them." Seymour ordered when their kiss ended.

"I am sorry," Kinoc said as he raised his gun towards Auron, "but it is for Yevon."

"Aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?" Auron asked, apparently noticing Yuna who was quietly backing up towards the edge of the podium.

"There are exceptions." Kinoc replied calmly, a grim smile creeping onto his face.

"No!" Yuna yelled, having finally reached the edge. "Throw down your weapons! Let them go, or else…" She left the rest up to the imagination of the people present.

"Lower your weapons!" Seymour ordered the soldiers and Kinoc.

"Leave now, please!" Yuna begged Tidus who was walking towards her.

"You're coming with us!" Tidus stated firmly.

"Don't worry! Go!" Yuna told him.

"This is foolish. If you fall you'll die." Seymour pointed out calmly.

"Don't worry. I can fly. Believe." Yuna told Tidus and his eyes grew wide when he realized what she was going to do. With that she jumped off the edge of the bridge.

"Yuna!" Tidus yelled over the gasps of surprise. Suddenly Valefor flew down, catching Yuna the way Kaze had caught Tidus and Ryan earlier. Realizing that he was in the middle of the enemy Tidus turned and sprinted back to his friends.

"Cover your eyes!" Rikku yelled, putting her goggles on. The group did just as she threw something at the ground right in front of Seymour. There was a bright light, even though the group had shut their eyes as tight as possible.

"Wh- what was that?" Wakka stammered.

"An Al Bhed flash bomb!" Rikku informed them as everyone but Tidus turned to run. Realizing what Tidus was planning on doing, Kimahri and Andy grabbed Tidus and dragged him off despite his protests.

"Lemme go! I'm gonna kill that Seymour!"

"Yuna said leave. We leave." Kimahri said flatly.

"Besides, we already killed him once and that took all of us. You really think you could kill him alone?" Andy added. The comment hit home and Tidus stopped protesting.

"We'll join up with her later!" Lulu informed Tidus.

"Break through!" Auron yelled, readying himself for a fight.

"With pleasure." Matt said as a couple of lightning bolts struck the group of guards, scattering them and consuming them in a cloud of dust.

"About time." Ryan muttered as he took off into the dust. There were a few screams, three gunshots, and the sound of steel on steel a few times.

"Is he okay?" Tidus wondered aloud. "Guess so." He said when the smoke settled to reveal Ryan with only a cut on his arm.

"What kept you?" He asked Auron teasingly. Auron just grinned as the group ran onto a quieter part of the bridge, away from the stupid guards who they'd lost too easily.

"Where'd Yunie go?" Rikku wondered

"Bevelle palace is temple. Yuna go to only one place." Kimahri told the Al Bhed.

"The Chamber of the Fayth!" Tidus said.

"That would make sense. But if we've figured it out, you can bet that Seymour has too." Ryan added.

"Then we'll just have to get there first, won't we?" Tidus said as he and Kimahri headed towards the temple. Ryan grinned, glanced over at Matt who was also grinning, and then at Andy who was grinning as well.

"This should be fun." Ryan said as he started after Auron and Lulu.

"So," Lulu started, drawing both men's attention, "exactly how closer are you and Rikku, Ryan?"

Ryan thought about the question for a little. "You know, I'm not exactly sure." He admitted. "Why?"

"Just wondering." Lulu replied with a small smile.

"Yeah, sure. And I'm a Maester of Yevon." Ryan replied, drawing a chuckle from both of his friends. As they rounded a corner they saw their friends, who were starring at them in confusion since Auron never laughed. "What?" Ryan asked in an innocent voice.

"What kept you?" Andy asked.

"We took a wrong turn." Auron replied, drawing a laugh from the entire group as they entered the temple.

"It's too quiet." Lulu noted. "A trap?"

"Who cares? Yuna's waiting for us!" Tidus stated as he started towards the entrance to the cloister. Only it didn't open.

"Huh?" Rikku said, walking over to something next to the door. Her hands moved for a few seconds and then the door to the cloister opened.

"What's a machina doing in a temple?" Wakka demanded.

"I suppose it come in handy." Rikku replied.

"That's not what I meant! The teachings, what about the teachings!" Wakka demanded.

"Hey, don't look at me." Rikku said innocently.

"I guess Yevon's not as pure as you though, is it Wakka." Ryan questioned aloud. Wakka didn't reply as they entered the cloister. The platform didn't take them right into the cloisters though. Instead, Rikku had to activate another panel. "Another Machina? Man…" Wakka said in disbelief.

"So this is Yevon's true face. They betray their own teachings." Auron muttered in an amused tone.

"They treated us like dirt too!" Wakka added.

"Well aren't they typical bureaucrats." Ryan complained. "They say one thing, but do the exact opposite." He explained as they walked onto another platform that lead to the entrance to the actual cloister.

"The entrance to the Trials." Lulu pointed out.

"I wonder if Yunie's really in there." Rikku questioned.

"Let's go an see!" Wakka said, forgetting about Yevon's betrayal for the moment.

"Yeah. We certainly aren't going to find out if she is by staying out here, now are we?" Ryan asked as he walked into the cloister.

Unlike the others, this cloister was insanely large. And it was a maze, making it annoying. The group spent more time riding platforms made from pedestals then fighting fiends. After having found another sphere, and a new spear for Kimahri the group entered the room they always waited for Yuna in.

"Yuna?" Tidus called out when they were in the prayer room.

"Inside maybe?" Wakka questioned.

"Then what are we standing here for?" Tidus demanded as he ran to the door and tried to open it. It didn't budge.

"H-Hey!" Wakka stammered.

"You can stuff your taboos." Tidus replied as he tried again. This time Kimahri and Matt gave him a hand, and between the three of them they were able to open the door to the Chamber of the Fayth. Immediately Tidus sprinted into the chamber, stopping when he saw Yuna kneeling in front of some floating kid. "Wh-what is that?"

"A Fayth," Auron told him. "They join with the Summoner, and together receive the Aeon. They are human souls, imprisoned in stone by ancient Yevon rituals. The dead should be allowed to rest."

"Ain't that the truth," Ryan agreed as the Fayth floated into Yuna. There was a flash and then Yuna collapsed.

"Yuna!" Tidus yelled, running over and picking her up. He turned and quickly headed for the door.

"Wait! Don't come out!" Rikku yelled suddenly, but Tidus was moving too quickly, and Auron wasn't going to stop when Yuna was in danger. Ryan was between the two, and had little choice but to keep moving.

"There's the last of them." Kinoc said when they came out to find their friends surrounded by the guards they'd managed to ditch earlier, each one with a gun leveled at the helpless group. "You are to stand trial."

"I expect it will be a fair trial?" Auron asked.

"Oh, of course it will." Kinoc replied with a grin. "Take them to the detainment area." He ordered with a wave of his hand. The guards didn't bother to take their weapons, apparently confident that their numbers would assure them a victory if the group decided to rebel against the orders.

"Well this is wonderful." Matt said dryly as they were led into a room with three hanging cages. The group was split up into three groups and shoved into the cages. "So, Andy idea what we should do now?"

"Wait for our trial?" Ryan asked nobody in particular. "I mean, unless you're an amazing lock pick then we don't have much of a choice."

"What do you think they'll do to us?" Rikku wondered aloud, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"Who knows? We did kill a Maester. And we broke up his wedding. And beat up and humiliated the royal guard of Bevelle. And killed the sacred guardian beast of Bevelle. I suppose they're pissed by now," Ryan said helplessly.

"That last part did annoy us a great deal, young guardian," Kinoc stated as he walked into the room, signaling for them to be released. "Take them to the Judgment Hall."

"Yes sir!" one of the guards said, saluting the Maester who was already gone. "This way," he said as he led the way down a different hallway, one that seemed to stretch on forever.

"I see a light at the end of the annoying long, dark tunnel." Andy muttered as a door opened in front of them.

"Stay away from the light." Ryan said with a sigh as the group walked into the room where the Maesters were waiting. Seymour was there, and so was Kinoc. Mika was on the highest pedestal thing, and a Ronso filled the other.

"The high court of Yevon is now in session," The Ronso stated. "The sacred offices of this court seek nothing but absolute truth, in Yevon's name. To those on trial: believe in Yevon and speak only the truth."

"Maester Kelk Ronso." Lulu informed the four that weren't from Spira.

Kelk Ronso turned to face Yuna more directly. "Summoner Yuna. You have sworn to protect the people of Yevon, true?"

"Yes," Yuna said automatically.

"Then consider: you have inflicted dire injury upon Maester Seymour Guado… conspired with the Al Bhed and joined in their insurrection," Maester Kelk Ronso informed them. "These are traitorous and unforgivable crimes that disturb the order of Yevon. Tell this court what possessed you to participate in such violence."

"Maester Kelk Ronso, Seymour's the real traitor!" Ryan said quietly, drawing in the Ronso's attention instantly.

"A bold claim for one so small. What proof do you have," Kelk Ronso wondered.

"First off he killed is father, the late Lord Jyscal, with his own hands." Ryan said calmly, throwing on a disarming smile as Kelk Ronso spun on Seymour.

"What is this?"

"Hmm? Hadn't you heard?" Seymour replied in a tone as calm as Ryan's.

"Not only that. Seymour's dead too," Andy stated, a grin starting to form on his face.

"And it is a Summoner's sacred duty to send the souls of the departed to the Farplane," Lulu added. "Yuna is only doing her job as a Summoner!"

"Grand Maester Mika… please send Seymour now!" Yuna pleaded with the ancient man.

"Send the unsent to where they belong?" Mika asked with mock innocence.

Ryan and Matt nearly fell over as the Grand Maester started to chuckle. "No way," They whispered in unison.

"What?" Tidus questioned. "What's wrong?"

"Send the dead… hmmm?" Mika continued as pyreflies started to leak out of his body.

"That's what's wrong." Ryan growled back to Tidus.

"You would have to send me too," Mika informed the group.

"What?" Wakka cried out in disbelief.

"Grand Maester Mika is a wise leader. Even in death, he is invaluable to Spira," Kelk Ronso explained.

"Enlightened rule by the dead is preferable to the misguided failures of the living," Kinoc added.

"Life is but a passing dream, but the death the follows is eternal," Seymour pointed out.

"Men die. Beast die. Trees die. Even continents perish. Only the power of death truly commands in Spira," Mika said in an amused voice. "Resisting its power is fut--"

"Grand Maester?" Kinoc asked, turning to see why the Maester had stopped.

Mika shook himself out of his surprise. 'I must be seeing things.' He thought before glancing back at the group.

"Grand Maester? Is something the matter?" Maester Kelk Ronso asked in a more forceful tone.

"Yes, sorry. I lost my train of thought for a moment." Mika liked. He looked at Ryan again and still the outline of wings was faintly glowing behind him. 'A concern for another time,' He decided. "As I was saying. Resisting its power is futile."

"But what for Sin? I am a Summoner, my lord, like my father before me!" Yuna yelled. "I am on a pilgrimage to stop the death that Sin brings. Are you… are you telling me that, too, is futile? Grand Maester Mika, I am not alone! All the people who have opposed Sin… their battles, their sacrifices, were they too in vain?"

"Not in vain," Mika informed her. "No matter how many Summoners give their lives, Sin cannot be truly defeated. The rebirth cannot be stopped. Yet the courage of those who fight gives the people hope. There is nothing futile in the life and death of a Summoner."

"Never futile…" Auron agreed, "but never ending."

"Indeed, that is the essence of Yevon." Mika stated.

"Lord Mika!" Yuna yelled.

"Yevon is embodied by eternal, unchanging continuity Summoner." The Grand Maester replied.

"No… that can't be right." Yuna said in a defeated tone.

"That's because it isn't right." Ryan stated firmly.

"Yeah, no matter what there is always some way to kill your enemy!" Matt added.

"And Sin's just another enemy." Ryan finished. "Perhaps it's not Sin that prevents the Summoners from killing it, but Yevon itself?"

"What are you saying?" Mika demanded.

"The final Aeon kills only the Summoners. It doesn't kill Sin." Ryan pointed out. "Is the final Aeon not part of Yevon's tradition? Has anyone bothered to try and kill Sin on their own, without the final Aeon?"

"You were at operation Mi'Ihen!" Kinoc roared. "You saw what Sin did there!"

"Yeah, it ran away." Matt replied. "And it hasn't shown up since then, has it?"

"Enough!" Mika yelled, his face beet red with anger. "All of you are traitors to Yevon! I hereby sentence you to the Via Purifico!"

A group of soldiers came in and split the group up. Rikku, Tidus, Wakka, and Ryan were taken down one hallway while the rest of the group was taken down another.

"Wonder what the Via Purifico is." Tidus wondered aloud as they reached a hole in the floor.

"Some kind of road." Ryan told them. His three friends looked at him oddly. "Sorry, Via is the word for road in a language from my world. I'm pretty sure Purifico is too, but I never came across it in my short study of the language."

"Enough talking, traitors. Get in there." One of the guards ordered, motioning towards the hole with his riffle. Then he pointed to Tidus. "You first."

"What's down there?" Tidus demanded.

"Water." One of the guards said with a smirk. Then he proceeded to shove Tidus into the hole with the butt of his gun. "You next." He said, pointing to Rikku. Before he had the chance to shove her in she jumped, landing in the water next to Tidus.

"I'm next, right?" Ryan said, walking over to the edge of the hole. "Clear a spot!" He yelled down before jumping in, making a much larger splash then Rikku had. Wakka quickly followed him, making the biggest splash of all. "So now what? We get over-hydrated, swell up like a balloon and pop or something?"

"I think they expected us to give up and die down here." Wakka said.

"That's a lame way to kill someone." Tidus complained.

"Where do you think they took Yunie and the others?" Rikku asked.

"Dunno. But they'll probably be waiting for us at the exit. We shouldn't keep them waiting too long." Ryan said as he started to swim forwards slowly.

"Yeah, I agree." Tidus said as the others quickly caught up to him. The friends swam, and swam, and swam. "So how long is this thing anyway?"

888

"How fares the Ronso Maester?" Mika questioned Seymour in the courtroom.

"It seems my father's murder troubles him." Seymour replied.

"Ever the Ronso." Mika replied with a sigh. "Hard-headed, and hardly useful."

"However… the Summoner Yuna, daughter to High Summoner Braska… she may be of some use to us alive."

"She has disturbed the order of Yevon. She cannot be allowed to live. Surely you understand this Maester Seymour." Mika replied calmly.

"Of course. And speaking of disturbing… what disturbed you so at the audience with the traitors?" Seymour questioned.

"The boy in black. He has wings." Mika replied slowly.

"Wings, Grand Maester?" Seymour replied doubtfully. "I didn't see them."

"Nor did I, Grand Maester." Kinoc added. "But even so, why would that unnerve you so?"

"They were… his wings." Mika whispered. "The Wings of Death."

Kinoc laughed and Seymour regarded the Grand Maester oddly. "The Wings of Death? As in the wings of Lusniec, the gods' killer and protector? That is only a child's tale."

"No Maester Kinoc. Lusniec is very real." Mika replied, ending the fat Maester's laughter. "That boy… he may very well escape."

"Then perhaps Lady Yuna will escape as well." Seymour said quietly. Both his fellow Maesters turned on him and looked at him oddly. "If Lusniec is real, then would that mean that all of the gods are?"

"Indeed, they all are as real as you and I." Mika agreed.

"Then the tall boy with black hair, and the tall boy that was unarmed. They are the gods of thunder and fire." Seymour summarized.

"What makes you think that?" Kinoc questioned.

"They were able to defeat Anima. At the time I thought they were just talented, but now I know better. They must have received the power of the gods themselves." Seymour informed them. "Had I known that, I would have destroyed them earlier, before they had a chance to develop their powers further."

"Have guards placed at the exit. Kill any who emerge from the Via Purifico." Mika ordered.

"Sir," Seymour said, "Leave that to me."

"First your father, now your bride?" Kinoc asked in mock surprise.

"Allow me to do this because she is my bride." Seymour replied evenly. He turned and started to leave.

"Wait! I will go too," Kinoc announced, running to catch up with Seymour.

"You do not trust me?" Seymour questioned.

"Would you trust a man who murdered his father?" Kinoc asked simply.

"Very well. As you wish." Seymour said smugly. 'You will be long dead before they ever reach the exit.'

"Lady Yuna, forgive me." Kinoc pleaded silently as he walked unknowingly to his death.

888

"Do any of you hear that?" Ryan questioned as they entered a large, rounded room with a high ceiling.

"Hear what?" Rikku asked.

"There's waves in here. I heard them before we got here too." Ryan added before Rikku could say anything. "And we're not swimming fast enough to make waves that are the big."

"So there's something here?" Wakka asked, glancing around quickly. "I don't see nothing."

"Below!" Tidus yelled, swimming backwards to avoid a giant snake looking thing with claws that was charging up at him.

"Evrae?" Rikku cried out in disbelief. "Again? Didn't we kill that thing?"

"We killed Seymour too." Ryan pointed out as he drew Wind Cutter. Swimming forward as fast as he could, but still slower then his three companions, he cut Evrae's now blue-green skin. The creature shrieked in pain and swam away quickly. Wakka was ready for the retreat. His blitzball soared through the water and hit the guardian beast, but did nearly no damage.

"What?" Wakka cried out in disbelief. "Why are they always strong against my attacks?"

"Because you use a blitzball?" Ryan asked as he charged Evrae again. This time the beast was ready for his charged. It swiped at him with its tail, missing deliberately so that Ryan's blade didn't bite into its flesh. The wave that the thing's tail created slammed Ryan all the way back into the far wall. 'Damn. Its not gonna let me get close enough to attack it again.' Ryan thought as he looked around for Evrae.

"Underwater!" Rikku yelled, pointing below them. She popped a blitzing pill into her mouth and dove down to continue the fight. Tidus and Wakka followed suit, Wakka diving only after he'd thrown a pill to Ryan.

Underwater Evrae held a great advantage. It was fast, and could turn quickly while on the move. Wakka's blitzball didn't really do any damage, and neither did Rikku's glove-blade thing. Tidus did about as much as he normally did, and Ryan couldn't get close enough to hit Evrae.

"Energy Rain!" Tidus yelled. His sword blade glowed for a few seconds as he held it over his head. When he swung it at Evrae it launched a bunch of little balls of energy, almost like the attack Evrae had used on the group last time they'd fought. With nowhere to run because of the number of balls, Evrae was peppered, each impact searing its skin.

"When did you learn that?" Ryan questioned as he watched Evrae wither in pain.

"I've known how to do it for awhile now. Just never found a good opportunity to test it out. Until now that is." He added as a side note.

"Oh. Ok." Ryan said simply as Evrae turned on the group. It returned Tidus' attack with his own energy ball attack. Ryan felt like someone was poking him with a branding iron every time one of the yellow balls hit him.

'Damn!' He thought bitterly as he started casting Curaga on the group, barely noticing the more effective healing power of the spell. First he cast it on himself, then Rikku and Tidus. When he went to cast it on Wakka, Evrae swam between the two, taking the full blast of the powerful healing spell. 'Shit!'

Relief flooded through him when Evrae howled in pain. "It must be a zombie!" Rikku yelled. Wakka nodded, grabbing a healing potion and pouring it on his blitzball. He threw it at Evrae, who cried out in pain when the attack connected.

"Yep," Wakka confirmed. "It's a zombie."

'That's why Wind Cutter hurt it.' Ryan thought with a grin. 'Because it's a holy blade forged by the gods themselves.

:Would you stop messing around and finish this: Lusniec asked bitterly, the water being replaced by the familiar blackness that always accompanied him. Sure enough, several seconds later the angel appeared, looking extremely annoyed.

"Yes… finish a fight where I just now learned how to attack." Ryan muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Any suggestions?"

"Yeah, the fucking Wind Cutter you dumbass." Lusniec snarled in reply.

Ryan took a step back. "Whoa, chill out. What's your problem?"

"My problem? My problem is that while you four are wasting time in this _pool _Yuna is fighting for her life against Issaru, who was chosen to execute the rest of your group." Lusniec was yelling by this point. Ryan narrowed his eyes and Lusniec smirked at him as his eyes changed from their normal blue color to silver. "What's the matter, truth hurt or something?"

"Fuck you!" Ryan replied simply. "I don't see your ass down here teaching me anything."

"I can teach you nothing but how to kill, kid." Lusniec told him bluntly. "And if I do teach you that, you'll become a mass murderer." Ryan's eyes widened in horror at the statement. "Yes, you've begun to understand that, haven't you? You lie to yourself by telling yourself that you don't like killing, but it's just a lie. You're starting to enjoy it, the spray of blood washing over you." Lusniec was walking closer to Ryan now, covering the ground surprisingly quickly. "If that's what you want then yes, I can teach you. You know you want me to. I can see it in your eyes."

Ryan was shaking now, the words sounding horrifyingly true to him. "Shut up." He whispered, stepping back, looking a lot like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Still lying to yourself? Fine, have it your way." Lusniec said with a sigh. "But you know that what I've said is the truth. You can't deny it."

"What are you?" Ryan demanded. "You talk about killing like it's the right thing to do!"

"It is, for me at least." Lusniec said with a grin. "A sword is a tool. A tool good for nothing but killing. You're beginning to understand it. Every time you draw your sword your heart soars, doesn't it?" Ryan nodded numbly, finding himself unable to deny the truth. "Interesting. We're not all that different then."

"What?" Ryan questioned oddly.

"I said we're not all that different," Lusniec repeated, smiling genuinely. "Okay then. I'll teach you the technique that got Wind Cutter its name. It's called the Wind Cutter."

"Go figure." Ryan muttered.

"Yeah. All you have to do is focus holy energy into the sword until it starts to glow. The next swing will send off a silver blade of energy that can cut through anything other then another holy weapon." Lusniec told him. "Now, go kill this thing. Its ugly mug is starting to annoy me."

"Right." Ryan agreed as the darkness and Lusniec started to fade away.

888

"Is that really all there is to the Wind Cutter, old friend?" Dnortih asked as Lusniec returned to his part of Limbo. "And here we thought you were an amazing swordsman."

"No, you fucking retard." Lusniec growled his reply. "Why the hell would I have such a simple technique?"

"So what he performs won't be a perfect Wind Cutter?" Vena asked, materializing out of thin air on Lusniec's other side.

"We'll see. If he really is worthy of my power, he'll perform it flawlessly. If he isn't, then it'll still be strong enough to finish off that fucked up zombie." Lusniec said bluntly.

"You're in a bad mood lately. Ever since Ryan took over your job you've been really irritable." Vena noted.

"Yeah, what's up with that? You didn't freak out like this when the others took over your job. What's so special about this one?" Dnortih questioned. Lusniec just turned and glared at him coldly for nearly a minute before Dnortih smiled. "Could it be… does he remind you of yourself, before you became the Angel with the Wings of Death?"

"What are you talking about? I've always been the Wings of Death, even when I was a mortal. That's why you guys chose me, remember?" Lusniec questioned.

"Yes, that's true." Dnortih admitted. "However… after we chose you, you changed. For a long time you did what you were told, without question, so I never brought it up before. You lost your path, your reason for both living and fighting, didn't you?" Lusniec growled at Dnortih. "I see, so that's it. You're afraid that he'll make the same mistake you made. You're afraid that he'll become a low-life killer like you did."

"What are you talking about? If I became a killer, it was because of you guys." Lusniec said with a sneer.

"Perhaps, but Ryan's not the kind of guy to leave his friends. He's the kind of guy that tries to carry all the problems of everyone around him on his shoulders. Unless I'm mistaken… that's how you were before you died and started working for us." Dnortih accused. "And you see him walking down the same path you walked down, thousands of years ago. And you're afraid that his power will corrupt him. Just like it did you."

"Me, care about what happens to him? I don't think so." Lusniec said, despite the fact that Dnortih was right. "I'm still a guardian angel, remember? If he dies, your reckless successors will die too. If that happens, Yevon will return with his full power. Even we won't be safe."

"So it's self preservation then?" Vena asked skeptically. "If you say so."

"You don't believe me?" Lusniec questioned.

"Should I? It's pretty obvious that you're trying to protect him Lusniec." Vena stated firmly, drawing a glare from the angel. "Just like you did with him all those years ago."

There was a flash as a sword appeared in Lusniec's hand. Before it was fully physical the blade was at Vena's throat and just as the blade became completely solid Vena burst into flames, the blade passing through him harmlessly.

"Don't ever say that again. Or I'll show you a hell eternal." Lusniec warned, leveling the blade at Vena as he reformed out of the fire, safely out of Lusniec's striking range.

"Still so touchy after so many thousands of years?" Vena asked with a sigh. "Well, if you say so. I'll play along, for now."

Lusniec watched as the two gods disappeared with in a flash of their respective elements. As soon as he was sure they were completely gone he let the sword fade away and sat down.

888

'Focus holy energy into the sword until it glows.' Ryan thought as he found the same reserve of power he used to create the shield Lusniec had shown him how to use. He concentrated on pulling it out of his body and putting it into the sword. After a few seconds he felt the water around him grow warmer. He opened his eyes and found that the fight against the new Evrae had halted for a moment as everyone stared in amazement at his now glowing sword. He grinned as he raised the sword over his head. "Out of the way!" He yelled, his friends complying instantly. "Wind Cutter!" He yelled as he brought his sword down as fast as he could, concentrating completely on the swing. For a second nothing happened. Then the water rippled violently as a silver shockwave looking thing passed through the water, effectively splitting it in two.

"What is that!" Wakka and Tidus yelled in unison as the silver line hit Evrae. There was a second where time seemed to stand still, then Evrae shrieked in agony as the wave continued to pass through it.

Ryan sighed and let himself float in the water, looking much like Wakka after the game against the Goers. 'It worked.' He told himself several times, almost expecting Evrae to pull itself back together and continue fighting. But when he looked up there were pyreflies coming out of its carcass, which was now floating to the surface.

"Ryan, what was that?" Tidus questioned again.

"I think it was the Wind Cutter. But I'm not sure if I did it right. Either way though," Ryan said with a glance at the quickly fading corpse, "it got the job done."

"That's… probably a little bit of an understatement." Tidus admitted to his friends. There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before they burst out laughing from relief. "Okay, okay. Let's go find Yuna!"

"Um… which way did we come in from?" Ryan questioned, having been turned around too many times to keep track of which way they'd been going.

"That way, brudda!" Wakka pointed towards the far wall. "So we go this way, ya?"

"Works for me." Ryan agreed as they took off down the long tunnel. After more then ten relaxing minutes of swimming and no fighting the small group found itself at the exit. "Damn, and here I was expecting this to be the wrong way." Ryan said sarcastically.

"Hey, hey, what's with the insults, ya?" Wakka complained jokingly as they climbed out of the water tunnel and found their friends waiting for them with smiles.

"What kept you?" Matt asked from his position next to the exit.

Ryan just grinned as Rikku ran over and embraced Yuna in a hug. "Sorry, we had a little zombie problem."

"Zombies gave you a problem? Thought you were a cleric, man." Matt said sarcastically.

"Nah, I'm a rouge, remember?" Ryan continued with the sarcastic statement and Matt nodded. "Besides, this was Evrae. Damn thing didn't stay dead for very long."

"Is it dead this time?" Andy asked.

"Yeah, I think it's safe to say that it's dead for good. I did cut it in half after all." Ryan informed them.

The sound of a bunch of feet marching in unison drew a groan from everyone present. "You must be kidding me…" Andy muttered as Seymour and a group of guards came around the corner, two carrying Kinoc's dead body.

"Kinoc!" Auron yelled as they threw the dead Maester's body to the ground.

"Why you!" Tidus yelled, drawing his sword.

"Just stay dead this time, would you?" Ryan questioned, Wind Cutter flashing out of its sheath with a white glow that drew everyone's attention.

"I don't know why you're so upset. I have saved him." Seymour replied calmly. "He was a man who craved power. And great power he had, but he feared losing it. Trembling at unseen enemies, he spent his days scheming petty schemes. Chased by his fears, never knowing rest. You see… now he has no worries. He has been granted sleep eternal. Death is a sweet slumber. All the pain of life is gently swept away… Ah, yes. If all life were to end in Spira, all suffering would end. Don't you see? Do you not agree? That, Yuna, is why I need you. Come, Lady Yuna. Come with me to Zanarkand, the lost City of the Dead. With death on our side we will save Spira, and for this… I will take from you your strength, Yuna, your life, and become the next Sin. I will destroy Spira! I will save it!"

"He's getting a little too into this for my liking." Ryan muttered.

"You're totally nuts!" Tidus yelled. Before anyone could stop him Kimahri jumped forward, stabbing Seymour with his spear.

"Unpleasant… Very well. I will give you your death. You seem to want it so." Seymour said simply as pyreflies from Kinoc and the guards drifted up and into him. Slowly his skin changed to a blue the same color as his robes, he grew about a foot taller, and sprouted wings.

"Tidus! Get Yuna out of here! Kimahri and me will take care of this bastard once and for all." Ryan said as he slowly stepped forwards, Wind Cutter sitting on his shoulder.

"No way! I'm fighting too!" Tidus complained.

"It's called a tactical retreat, now move!" Matt yelled as he grabbed Tidus by the back of his collar and dragged him away from the fight that was about to unfold.

"He's your friend, how can you just leave him there?" Rikku whinned to Matt and Andy.

"This is what he wants." Andy told her flatly. "He's the kind of guy that would die before letting his friends get hurt. And he's almost always got something up his sleeve. And if he doesn't, it's in his pocket."

Yuna stopped running suddenly. "I don't care if Ryan has something up his sleeve, or in his pocket, I won't leave Kimahri and him behind." She said defiantely.

"They are guardians, protecting you is everything!" Auron argued.

"Auron!" Yuna yelled back, but Tidus intervened.

"That's right! We're all guardians! You know what that means?" He asked, turning to face the Summoners. "Yuna… anywhere you go, I'll follow!"

"Anywhere I go?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah, anywhere!"

"Well then." Yuna said as she turned back the way they'd just come from.

"Let's go!" They both yelled. Like the words were a gun to start a race the two took off down the long stretch of Walkway.

"Kimahri! Leave some for us!" Tidus yelled.

"That's more like it!" Matt yelled as he charged down after his friends, Andy close behind.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Wakka yelled as he started after them.

"Me too!" Rikku added, easily passing Wakka.

"I'll go too." Lulu said in her usual voice, calmly walking after them. Auron grunted, grinned to himself at their determination, and followed the black mage.

888

"Well, are you going to remove your spear, or shall I remove it for you?" Seymour asked as he stared down the shaft of Kimahri's spear. Kimahri growled at the dead Maester and pulled his spear out. "Well then. I suppose I'll be forced to kill you now."

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow. He stepped forward, watching the Maester carefully for any signs of an attack. "What, no anima this time? Finally learned that one Aeon doesn't make you a Summoner?"

"What would you know of being a Summoner, boy? Not only are you not from this world, but you're a guardian to a Summoner! You know nothing of the sacred arts!"

"Ah, and you would know, because you stalk Yuna, right?" Ryan countered. Seymour sneered at him, but said nothing else. "But you know, I do know a little about the "sacred art" of summoning…" Ryan said as he closed his eyes. He brought his left hand up in front of his chest and lowered his head a little bit before bending his ring finger and pinky into a fist while his middle and pointer fingers stayed straight. For a few seconds nothing happened, but just as Seymour was about to make some comment silver lines of energy started drifting lazily out of the boy's body, and Seymour saw the outline of silver wings, massive, six foot wings, sprout out of his back. "Come to me, Kaze." He whispered as Seymour watched in horror.

"What are you doing?" the Maester demanded. He heard the sound of glass shattering high above him, and a silver and black version of Valefor landed in between him and Yuna's guardians. 'But he never used it before! Why wouldn't he want to something as powerful as an Aeon?' Seymour wondered.

"Ryan summon Valefor. Kimahri not see Ryan pray to Fayth on Besaid." Kimahri told Ryan.

"I didn't. I got it right before we arrived in Bevelle. This is the Aeon that saved me and Tidus after Evrae knocked us off the airship. It was also one of Braska's Aeons."

"What!" Seymour gasped in surprise. "That is an Aeon used by High Summoner Braska?"

"Yeah. He told me and Tidus that we couldn't die yet. That Yuna would need our help in the future." Ryan said while glaring icily at Seymour. "And I'm not one to leave my friends when they need me."

Seymour had regained his composure by this time, and was smirking at the two guardians. "Well then by all means, show me how you plan to protect Lady Yuna. And do so without the help of your beloved Aeon!" he yelled as a wave of magic hit Kaze. Instantly the Aeon burst into pyreflies. Kimahri and Ryan watched in horror as the Aeon slowly faded away. "What's wrong, you don't seem so confident young guardian!" he yelled, lashing out with two fire spells simultaneously. Kimahri and Ryan scattered, barely dodging the flames that burst into life where they'd been a second earlier. "Now die! Die and be freed of your suffering!"

"You talk a lot for a dead guy!" Ryan yelled as he picked up speed, charging right for the Maester. He stopped less then two feet away and swung his sword up in an uppercut like motion. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Dou Ryu Sen!" He yelled as the ground between the two erupted up and into Seymour, slamming the Maester with hundreds of pieces of concrete.

Suddenly Kimahri was behind Seymour, dodging pieces of rubble and jabbing Seymour every time he got the chance. "Be gone, you annoying Ronso!" Seymour yelled, backhanding Kimahri in the face and sending the Ronso guardian back a dozen years. Slowly he turned to face Ryan, smiling evilly. "It would seem you're the only one left." He said before launching a Blizzara spell at him.

Ryan jumped to the left to dodge, but it didn't matter. With so little space he didn't dodge it in time, and he felt one of the cold icicles fly through his side. He twisted his body as quickly as he could, his instincts taking over. Time seemed to slow down as he fell to the ground, watching as a bolt of lightning heading out of Seymour's hand towards him at a crawling pace. He brought his arms up in front of his face defensively, and shut his eyes. He heard a loud hissing sound, accompanied by his hair standing on end.

And that was it. He opened one eye slowly and saw Wind Cutter glowing white with the lightning spell arching around it. "What fell magic is this?" Seymour demanded in a startled voice.

"Don't know. Don't care." Ryan stated simply as he placed a hand over his wound. He felt the healing magic rush through it, and although it was enough to close the wound without the risk of it reopening in the middle of the fight, it wasn't strong enough to dull the pain. "Now, my turn." He said as he sheathed his sword, watching Kimahri nod in remembrance as he got back to his feet. He pulled the sheath and the sword out of their holder and dropped into a Battou Jutsu stance. "If you don't want to lead, I'd be glad to."

"By all means, please do." Seymour said in an amused voice. Ryan disappeared from view for a second, and Seymour glanced up casually, watching the swordsman fall towards him at speeds he'd thought impossible before they fought in his Temple. Ryan's sword flashed out of its sheath towards him, and he simply stepped to the side, letting gravity and momentum drive Ryan into the ground. As soon as he landed Seymour kicked him in the ribs as hard as he could, sending him farther then he'd sent Kimahri. "Is that all?" He asked as Ryan raised himself to his hands and knees, coughing up blood in the process. "A shame really. You had so much talent too." Seymour raised both his hands. One crackled with lightning, while the other held a fireball nearly as big as a blitzball.

He launched the lightning at Kimahri, and threw the fireball at Kimahri. The Ronso jumped over the ball, surprising Seymour with a downward thrust, which Seymour dodge easily. In return he sent Kimahri flying through the air with a Watera spell. He watched as Ryan raised his sword in hopes that it would absorb the magic again. Just before the lightning hit Ryan a shadow jumped in the way, and although he knew it was one of Yuna's guardians, the bright light from the spell hitting him kept Seymour from seeing exactly which guardian it was.

"That it, Seymour?" Matt's voice cut through the air, almost as quickly as his axe flew through the air. It embedded itself in Seymour's shoulder, nearly taking it off in the process. Seymour howled in pain as he staggered backwards from the force of the impact. "What's wrong? I thought you'd be able to see that, I mean since you dodge Ryan's attack and all."

"Hey, you weren't supposed to see that." Ryan muttered as he tried to stand up. He managed to stay on his knees, but only by leaning on his sword. "And now I owe Seymour one. Step aside."

Before Seymour could laugh at Ryan's comment a phoenix appeared in the sky above him. He stared at it in confusion for a moment before trying to banish it as he'd done to Kaze. When it didn't work his face fell.

"Didn't you know Seymour?" Andy asked as the rest of the group reached the scene of the fight. "Suzaku isn't an Aeon. It's the strongest of the phoenix, gods of fire. And its here for you!" Andy added as Suzaku dive-bombed the warped Maester of Yevon. Seymour smirked, erecting a barrier around himself as the god plummeted towards him. His smirk faded as soon as the barrier was shattered by the powerful phoenix, which then proceeded to explode from less then a foot in front of his face.

"Damn you!" Seymour yelled when he recovered. He hurled three ice spells at the teen. Andy's eyes widened in surprise and fear as the attack drew closer. "Now die!"

A flash of silver flew past Andy from behind, slicing the icicles in two and heading for Seymour. "I've got a better idea," Ryan stated as the attack connected with Seymour, "why don't you go to hell?" The last part was nearly drowned out by the animal like screams that erupted from Seymour as the holy energy tore into his demonic body.

"What in the name of Yevon was that?" Lulu questioned as she glanced back at Ryan uncertainly.

"Apparently very painful for Seymour." Ryan muttered as Seymour dropped to the ground.

"Might have gone a little overboard though." Andy pointed out as Seymour's corpse began to glow.

"Better--" Ryan's words were caught off by a maniacal laughter from Seymour's glowing corpse. The sound sent the entire group's moral plummeting through the ground. "You have got to be shitting me." Ryan gasped as Seymour pushed himself off the ground, revealing not a scratch on him.

"You know, that hurt." Seymour sneered. "And now I'm going to have to pay you back for that."

"Oh damn." Ryan muttered as a flare spell sped towards him, weaving through his friends impossibly fast. He tried to spin out of the way, but the spell still slammed into his chest, knocking him out instantly.

"Seymour!" Matt yelled, hurling Lightning Edge at Seymour as hard as he could. It collided with the axe that was already in the demon's arm, sending it completely through and cutting the arm off. Seymour howled in pain as the limb fell to the ground, flopping around helplessly.

"Seymour!" Auron yelled, stepping forward. "Although he was not the man I once knew…. Kinoc was still my friend! You will pay for his death!"

"Really? And how do you plan on doing that?" Seymour gasped as he began to glow again. Auron roared and charged towards him, his sword trailing behind him at the waste. As he reached Seymour he brought it up over his head and swung down as hard as he could. There was a splash of blood, a cry of pain from Seymour, and a sudden end to the glowing. "You damnable man!" Seymour wailed as he backhanded Auron, knocking the man back more then a dozen feet.

Kimahri snarled and leaped forward, his spear launching through Seymour's remaining shoulder. With another feral growl he snapped the shaft of the spear and slammed the jagged part into part into the back of the Maester's stomach.

"Damn you!" Seymour roared as he spun on the Ronso, trying in vain to hit Kimahri with his useless arm that was hanging limply at his side.

"Seymour!" Rikku yelled as she charged the Maester. He turned and cried out in pain as she jammed her fingers into his eyes, easily piercing the fragile organs. "That's for hurting my friends," She said matter-of-factly, "and this is 'cause you're a big meanie!" With that she jammed a grenade into his mouth, jumped up, and kicked him in the chest. Kimahri added to the attack by dropping down and sweeping the Maester's legs out from under him, before jumping to safety himself.

"What happened?" Ryan asked as he started to sit up. The grenade exploded though, knocking Auron and Tidus towards him and forcing him to duck to keep his head. Despite ducking he still felt someone's shoe hit his chin, and when he opened his eyes next he saw twelve girls looking at him curiously rather then three.

"You okay now?" Yuna asked.

"Aside from just finding out all of you are triplets… I'd say I'm alright." He replied as he rubbed his temples and sat up, his sarcasm drawing a giggle from Rikku and smiles from the other two.

"We need to leave." Auron stated simply. Ryan sighed in annoyance but didn't argue. He had a bad enough headache as it was.

"Where are we going?" He asked as he cast his own Cure spell on himself. It managed to clear up his vision and get rid of his headache.

"Macalania Woods." Auron informed him, already heading down the started down the Highbridge.

As they sprinted away from Seymour's corpse Seph dropped down from the perch he'd been using to watch the fight. He smirked as Seymour began to revert back to his normal body, his demonic power leaving him.

"You're pitiful Seymour." Seph told the Maester, who, with much effort, managed to raise his head and glare at the assassin. "Get up, you've got work to do if you don't want everyone to know that they killed you twice."

"You were supposed to back me up." Seymour growled, slowly rising to his feet. "That was your chance to avenge your friend, why did you let them go?"

Seph glared at Seymour so coldly that Seymour's blood ran cold and he shuddered visible under it. "I will kill them while they're at their best. Otherwise it won't mean anything." Seph told Seymour in a measured voice.

888

Although it had taken them an hour, the group had managed to get out of Bevelle without any more incidents. Now they were tired, irritable, and hiding in the cool, familiar, welcoming shade of the forest. As soon as they'd gotten to a small camping area Yuna and Ryan had left, each saying they needed to be alone before they headed their separate ways.

"Well isn't this wonderful. We kill Seymour, now everyone's gonna wanna kill us." Matt muttered as he looked up at the forest canopy out of boredom. "Of course this makes twice for Seymour dieing."

"Yeah. Why the hell can't he just stay dead anyway?" Andy wondered.

"Because nobody wants to send a Maester of Yevon. No matter how far they've fallen." Auron declared.

"Right." Rikku agreed before standing up.

"Where are you going?" Matt asked from his lying position.

"Well Tidus went to cheer Yuna up right? And Ryan cheered me up after pops blew up HOME, so I figured I kinda owed him one, right?" Rikku asked. Matt smiled to himself and shrugged, an action that Rikku took as him agreeing to the logic. It didn't take her long to find Ryan, and when she did he was just sitting on the ground next to one of the pools of water, staring at his sword.

'_Yes, you've begun to understand that, haven't you? You lie to yourself by telling yourself that you don't like killing, but it's just a lie. You're starting to enjoy it, the spray of blood washing over you._' Lusniec's words looped through Ryan's head constantly, consuming his thoughts. He felt hollow every time he heard them, and couldn't help but worry that there was more truth to them then he was willing to admit. 'What if he's right? What if I turn into some killer? If that's true, do I really have any right to be one of Yuna's guardians?'

"Ryan? You okay?" Rikku asked from behind him. He stiffened, having missed her walking up in his thoughts. "Hey, relax. It's just me." Rikku said as she sat down next time him. "So what's wrong?"

Ryan sighed and sheathed Wind Cutter. "Just something Lusniec said when I saw him in the Via Purifico." He said quietly.

Rikku looked at him oddly. "What? When did Lusniec show up?" She questioned. "I didn't see him."

"Yeah, I know. He does this annoying thing where he freezes time, and teleports me to another dimension or something. Then he says what he wants to tell me, and sends me back." Ryan told her. "It was right before he told me how to use the Wind Cutter."

"So he taught you how to use that?" Rikku asked. Ryan nodded. "So what'd he say?" Ryan's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't sure if he should tell her what he'd been thinking about. He sighed and she poked him in the side. "What did he say?" She asked again.

Ryan sighed before saying anything. "He said that I was starting to like killing. That one day I'd just be a killer, like him." He whispered, his hands clenching into fists on the ground. Rikku stared at him oddly. "I don't want to be a killer, but I can't help but wonder if he's right. I can't get those damn words out of my head. Every time I think about them I feel hollow inside." By now he could feel the tears running down his face as he let out his fears.

Rikku moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him gently. "You won't turn into a killer Ryan." She said gently as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're too nice to be a killer."

"How can you be so sure?" Ryan asked.

"Just trust me, ok?" She asked. "I won't let you turn into a killer. And neither will Matt, or Andy, or Tidus, or any of your friends. Lusniec can say whatever he wants, but as long as you have us, you're not going to turn out like him. So stop worrying about it, ok?"

Ryan looked at her oddly. "Jeez, and here I thought I was the psychiatrist of the group…" he muttered.

Rikku giggled. "Well, even a psychiatrist needs to talk to someone sometimes, right?" She asked. Ryan laughed quietly.

"I guess so." He said as he leaned his head against hers. "Thanks Rikku." He whispered.

"Hey, if you ever need to talk, or maybe a shoulder to cry on, lemme know, ok?" She asked. He nodded and smiled when he felt her hand in his. "Cause I'll always be there to listen."

"Yeah." Ryan agreed quietly.

* * *

well, there you have it! that's twice they've taken down seymour. and when is Seph going to attack? and how is Ryan going to cope with Lusniec's comments? and who did Lusniec try to protect so many thousands of years ago? you'll have to wait to find out... 


	13. Battles All Over Spira

Hey, i'm back. i find myself, once again, hitting an 'anti-writing' wall in my life, which is just a period where i can' t write well for the life of me. so for all of you out there, and you know who you are even if i don't, that have been dying for this next chapter, here it is. in all 32 pages of its glory baby! and we get to see another side to Seph in this one! yay! anyway, on to the review replies...

Plum-chan- yeah, well, i may have rikku, but matt and andy's times will come. just not in this part of the trilogy... anyway, i'm glad you think i'm getting better at this. i know it's not easy that easy to keep matt and andy in character when they talk, which they don't do much around people who don't know them THAT well. and i can't stand when someone focus entierly on comedy, or entierly on being serious, so i like to find a happy medium, which apparently i have. and i'm glad you like the fight scenes, because they're a pain to write. fun, but a pain. as for the emotions... well, i dunno what to say other then they're natural.

labrat-seph- IT WAS A FIGURE OF SPEECH! i know you can't guess again if i've already told you the answer. and yes,in a way i did have to do with the yellow pyrefly leaking cloud... but i didn't summon it, braska just decided to randomly appear and save us. as for me becoming a batosai, wait until this chapter. i start to have the same moral dilema that kenshin has... it sux -- Yes, Kaze's color scheme is awesome. i can understand why your friend would faint. and what is up with the final boss in FF 10 being a bug... that's really weird. Although, in the eternal words of Sephirothxx Yu Yevon is, and always will be, the 'Giant Tick of Doom!' And speaking of Lusniec... he's shows up in this chapter too. oh yeah, you only put labratseph20 when y left me your e-mail address... so what's after the ? .

Sephirothxx- Yes, Lusniec is becoming even more of an odd man, it can be said. wait until this chapter, he's got a few surprises for everyone. and don't worry, the calm isn't that bad, it's pretty non-existant minus the part with Father Zuke...

Da KeR MysTeRr- You're the first person to call my plot lines a drug... i'm not sure if that's a good thing either. addicting i've heard, but not a drug. and as for who lusniec was protecting, you'll have to wait and see. He'll show up... eventually. who knows, maybe it'll be sooner then you think...don't worry about it until then, you'll never get it.

and now onto the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 13: Battles All Over Spira

"Hey, wonder what's keeping Tidus, ya? And what about Rikku, she's been gonna a while too." Wakka pointed out, growing restless without the two energetic teens around.

"Relax Wakka. God, what do you think they're doing, having sex or something?" Matt asked from where he lay on the ground. He smiled, picturing Wakka's curious face, knowing that Rikku and Ryan had been growing closer too quickly even for someone as dense as Wakka or Tidus to miss. He glanced over to see how accurate his guess of Wakka's expression had been. Sure enough, Wakka seemed to be considering the question seriously. "Dude, I was being sarcastic. The only reason we did that was because Tidus had his mind in the gutter."

"Sure brudda, whatever you say." Wakka said, nodding his head doubtfully. Matt rolled his eyes and lay back down on the cool ground. He was just starting to drift into a peaceful sleep when he heard Kimahri walk past him, the bipedal lion's feet smacking the ground so that they left a quiet echo ringing in his ears. A few minutes later Yuna and Tidus came up the path Kimahri had used.

"Where are Ryan and Rikku?" Yuna asked, noticing the two missing guardians instantly.

"You called?" Ryan asked from directly behind where Yuna was standing. Tidus and Yuna whirled around but saw nothing. Laughter from behind them made them turn around again to see Ryan, who was holding Rikku, standing behind Wakka, the grass still showing the path he'd traveled.

"Geez, you nearly gave us a heart attack!" Tidus complained, but Yuna laughed.

"You did say that you'd get me back." She said, referring to the time so long ago on Besaid. Ryan nodded.

"That I did. Now we're even." Ryan said as he let Rikku down, although she didn't sit down until she'd claimed his sweatshirt as her own for the time being.

"Sir Auron? Wakka? Lulu? Kimahri? Rikku? Ryan? Matt? Andy? Everyone, we leave at dawn." Yuna informed them. Each member nodded and smiled, ever amazed by the Summoner's determination to finish what she'd started. "And… I'm sorry for putting you through all this. And… umm…" Ryan cleared his throat.

"Didn't we go through this before, Yuna? What happened to not apologizing for everything?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right. We're you're friends, and we'll stick with you no matter what." Andy added.

"Yeah, besides, this is just starting to get interesting." Matt finished.

"And you need your rest, Yuna." Auron told her.

"Yes. Good night, everyone." She said before going to bed.

888

"Lusniec's got him scared, Vena." Dnortih said quietly as they watched Yuna's group go to bed. "At this rate he won't make it to Zanarkand. Lusniec will have driven him insane by Gagazet. And if that happens, what's to stop Lusniec from going after Matt and Andy?"

"Yeah. We've got to do something about this." Vena agreed. "We can't let him screw this up."

"So what should we do?" Dnortih asked. Vena remained silent for a while, considering their rather limited options while watching Auron walk quietly away from the group, drawing nobodies attention.

"If we try and contact Ryan, Lusniec will know right away. We have to get the message to him without Lusniec being aware of it." Vena said dejectedly. "I've got no idea how to do it though."

"Damn." Dnortih muttered. He didn't have any idea either, and the more Ryan dwelled on Lusniec's words, the deeper the magic would take hold of him. He glanced back at the magical portal and noticed Auron's absence. "Where'd the guy with the big sword go?"

"He walked off. Stay focused." Vena replied sharply.

"I am. But I need to talk to that guy first." Dnortih stated as a bolt of lightning struck him. Vena shook his head at his friend's flashy exit.

"Whatever you're planning, you'd better do it quickly, old pal." He muttered as he sat down to watch the events that were about to unfold.

888

Auron found himself watching another of Jecht's spheres. He'd just found it on the ground, and he felt a great sorrow fall on his shoulders as he watched Braska and Jecht happily. 'I'm sorry.' He thought before putting the sphere in his jacket. He felt the hair on the back of his neck rise and he reached for his sword. The second his hand was around the weapon's familiar hilt he spun around deceptively fast, his sword passing less then an inch away from Dnortih's face.

"That's a hell of a way to great someone." Dnortih said dryly as he stepped forward, both hands held up in a sign of peace.

"Dnortih, the god of thunder. What the hell is so wrong that you'd come all the way from heaven to see a lowly unsent like me I wonder. Could it be something to do with Matt… or maybe it's Ryan?" Dnortih's mouth fell open. "Ah, so you noticed it too. Lusniec's gift of reading a person's innermost fear and then bringing it to the surface, and it haunts them until they either break or overcome it. Also known as 'The Spell Of the Silver Haired Demon' if I'm not mistaken. Or 'The Demon of the Heart' is another name."

"Who the hell are you? Only the gods should know about that!" Dnortih demanded, afraid of how a mortal would know something only a god should know.

"Heh. I once encountered a similar attack." Was all Auron would offer in ways of an explanation. "But you still haven't told me what you wanted with me."

"We need someone to help him overcome it, Auron. If we contact him directly, Lusniec will know immediately. He's up to something, and we have to make sure that Ryan stays alive. At least until all four gods and he have killed Yu Yevon."

"What makes you think I'm the one you want?" Auron questioned.

"Because he looks up at you like a master. Someone who has knowledge to pass on. Somewhere deep inside of him he wants you to acknowledge him as a swordsman of equal skill." Dnortih informed Auron. "He'll listen to you, but you can't tell him outright. However you overcame the spell similar to 'The Demon of the Heart' so you must know how to defeat it."

"I do." Auron admitted. "But it's not something that you can be taught. It's something you have to find for yourself."

"That's not good enough!" Dnortih hissed.

"For every light there is an equal and greater darkness. The opposite is also true. For every darkness there is an equal and greater light." Auron said smugly. "To defeat something of that nature, you have to find the light that can balance your fear with hope."

"And hope is something everyone has to find for themselves." Dnortih admitted in a defeated voice.

"But I might be able to help him." Dnortih's heart soared at the words. "I can't show him the way, but I may be able to help him resist it until he can find that light for himself. Beyond that, I cannot give you anything."

"Due what you can. If you're all going to survive this, you're going to need him to snap out of Lusniec's trap." Dnortih said as lightning flashed down, blinding Auron for a second before the light disappeared entirely. And Dnortih went with it, leaving Auron standing alone in the clearing.

'Well, I've got nothing better to do.' Auron thought as he walked back to camp, grabbing the bamboo sword from next to Tidus' real one. "Ryan?" He whispered. Even in the darkness he saw Ryan sit up immediately. He also noticed Rikku's arms wrapped around him like a child clutching a security blanket.

"What?" Ryan whispered back.

"Can you spare a few moments from your charge?" came the mocking reply. Ryan scowled and slowly slipped out of Rikku's grasp.

"What the hell do you want?" Ryan asked in an agitated voice.

"You're going to want to get the sword I gave you before. We're training." Auron told him. He smirked at the shocked look on Ryan's face, a look that quickly turned to excitement.

"Alright." Ryan said. Almost instantly a bamboo sword appeared in his hand. "Where are we doing this?"

Auron just started walking, and kept walking until they were standing near the pool where they'd found the first sphere of Jecht and Braska. "Ready?" Auron asked. Ryan dropped into his drawing stance and nodded.

Auron's sword flew towards Ryan faster then the boy had thought possible for the man. It missed by less then an inch, and Auron smirked. Ryan whirled around to his right, drawing the sword in the process. He expected Auron to block the sword and counter with a punch or something. He didn't however, since he was already in the process of kicking Ryan's legs out from under him. Ryan jumped, did a full front flip and slammed his sword down. Again Auron was gone.

'What is this?' Ryan wondered as Auron kicked him in the chest, knocking him back several feet. Ryan gasped as he stood up, trying to force air back into his empty lungs. 'He knows where I'm going to attack. Why?' Ryan wondered as he watched Auron return to his usual stance. Ryan felt a shiver of fear shoot down his spine and he realized that he was sweating more then he should have been. '_Yes, you've begun to understand that, haven't you? You lie to yourself by telling yourself that you don't like killing, but it's just a lie. You're starting to enjoy it, the spray of blood washing over you._' The words ran through his head so unexpectedly that he dropped his sword completely and starred in wide-eyed horror at Auron.

"Ryan, are you ok?" Auron asked with an unusual amount of concern in his voice. Ryan didn't respond, but did sink to the ground and clutch his head. 'Not good.' He thought as Ryan started whispering something. "Ryan, listen to me. I need you to tell me what's wrong." Auron told him as he walked closer.

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!" the last part was screamed as Ryan started slamming his head into the ground. Without anything else to do Auron grabbed the back of Ryan's shirt, hoping to at least keep him from giving himself brain damage. "Let me go!" Ryan yelled before spinning around and kicking Auron in the face, snapping the unsent's glasses.

Auron staggered backwards from the force of the blow, letting go of Ryan in the process. When his vision cleared he saw Ryan running off into the woods, his shirt being torn to shreds by the thorns and branches of the forest. "Ryan, get back here!" He yelled, but it didn't work. Ryan didn't stop, but instead picked up speed.

"Auron? Ryan? What's going on?" Matt's voice called out from behind Auron. Auron turned on the guardian slowly, his nose and right eyebrow bleeding from where shards of glass had embedded themselves in his skin. "Damn, what the hell were you two doing?" Matt demanded.

"Dnortih asked me to train Ryan a little more in swordsmanship. We were sparring and Ryan freaked out." Auron admitted. "He couldn't hold his sword, and was trying to break his head open on the ground."

"That's not like him…" Matt said quietly. "Normally it's the other way around."

"What do you mean?" Auron questioned, looking at Matt in confusion.

"Well, most of the friends Ryan had back home were… slightly disturbed in the head, or really sensitive. And Ryan grew up around a lot of girls, so he just sort of became the guy that all his cousins' came to when they needed to get something off their chest. Then his friends started to do it."

"And in the end he carries everyone else's burdens, but has no one to help him with his own." Auron finished, understanding where Matt was going. "And it's finally starting to catch up with him."

"What's starting to catch up with him?" Rikku asked through a yawn, walking out with Ryan's sweatshirt on. Both the men looked at her with worried looks that even through her non-observant sleepiness she didn't miss. "What's wrong?"

Matt sighed. "You're gonna wanna sit down."

888

"What's wrong with me?" Ryan wondered aloud. He'd been sitting by some pool for the past hour, and the voice had finally left him alone. 'Is it really true? Do I really enjoy killing.'

"_Just trust me, ok? I won't let you turn into a killer. And neither will Matt, or Andy, or Tidus, or any of your friends. Lusniec can say whatever he wants, but as long as you have us, you're not going to turn out like him._" Rikku's voice came back to him, and he couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Are you ready to finish this?" Auron asked quietly, startling Ryan. No response came and Auron started to get annoyed. "What's wrong, scared? Scared of the future, of what you could end up becoming?"

"Yes."

"Then stop running away and face it." Auron demanded coldly, throwing a bamboo sword to Ryan, who caught it but didn't stand up. "You'll never be as good as me like this."

The words were intended to get Ryan to stand up. He did, and slowly he turned to face Auron. "What's in this for you? You've got nothing to prove to me, or anyone for that matter."

"But you do, don't you?" Auron asked simply. "Matt and Rikku will be here soon. If you don't want to be humiliated in front of them, you'd better come now."

Ryan sighed and came up into a defensive stance. After their battle an hour ago, it was painfully clear Auron had the defensive advantage. With a smug grin Auron came at him. Overhead slash, which Ryan side stepped, reverse grip and slash to the upper right, to which Ryan raised his own sword to block, spin and kick out with his right leg, barely missing Ryan, followed up by a horizontal slash, which Ryan ducked under. He slashed out at Auron's stomach, but the experienced man rolled around the blade and brought his own down on Ryan's back with a painful crack. He didn't cry out in pain, and until he saw Ryan's clenched fist he was considering the possibility that it hadn't hurt him at all.

"Pathetic." Auron said simply, turning to walk away.

"We're not done." Ryan told him as he got back to his feet shakily. Auron turned his head and looked at the kid. His eye widened in surprise when he saw the faint outlines of massive wings behind Ryan. "Auron, don't take me so lightly."

"Give me a reason not to." Auron replied quietly, turning to face the boy. Ryan took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes Auron quickly noticed that something in them had changed, like when he'd fought Ryan and Tidus before.

Ryan charged, disappearing right before he came within reach of Auron's sword. Auron glanced up casually, and was surprised to see that Ryan was just out of his sight. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Tsui Sen!" Ryan yelled, dropping like a rock to the ground. He swung down as hard as he could, and Auron barely spun out of the way of the attack. Without stopping Ryan jumped up, put one hand on the blade and slammed it into Auron's throat. The attack caused him to stumble backwards, coughing. Ryan took the chance to charge in, putting Auron on the defensive.

Something was different. Auron noticed it as he whipped his blade around, batting away all the attacks he could and dodging those he couldn't by a hair. It wasn't as simple as a stance, or speed. He was moving differently somehow, but from what Auron could see he was using the same movements as before. And his eyes had gone from their normal color to nearly pure silver, something that really worried Auron. Getting annoyed he ducked under a swing, stepped in behind it and kneed Ryan in the stomach. As Ryan flew back a little he brought his sword down on Ryan's hand. There was a crack, and a small cry of pain from Ryan as he dropped his sword.

"Better." Was all Auron offered before turning and walking back down the path he'd cleared on his way there. On his way out he passed Rikku and Matt. He just jerked his thumb back the way he'd come from and Rikku took off down the path.

"You look somewhat tired." Matt pointed out. "Tougher fight then you expected?"

"He managed to catch me off guard. He got one hit." Auron admitted, rubbing the spot where Ryan had hit him.

"I see."

888

When Rikku found Ryan he was lying on his back panting. "Wow, you look great." She said sarcastically. He looked up and smiled slightly before letting his head fall back to the ground. "You ok?"

"Yeah." Ryan managed through his gasps for air. "Just… tired."

"So I noticed." Rikku said as she laid down next to him. "I thought you said you'd come to me if you started to break down again." She whispered as she curled up next to him, using his shoulder as a pillow. "Why didn't you?"

Ryan was silent as he thought about it. "Well, to be honest, I didn't even think about it. It just sort of happened." He told her. "And Lusniec, he really may be right about me."

"No he's not." Rikku whispered. "You're not a killer Ryan!"

"Maybe, maybe not. We'll just have to wait and see. For now, that's really all we can do, isn't it?" He asked. "All I know is that when I was fighting with Auron, my heart soared." Rikku looked at him oddly. "It was dangerous, but it was fun."

"What?" Rikku asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ryan smiled and shook his head. "Never mind. Just a random thought." He assured her.

"No, you don't do that! You don't start to say something and not finish you big meanie!" Rikku whinned, poking him in the side playfully until he held his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay." Ryan gave in with a laugh. "How can I say this without sound completely insane." He thought for a while before speaking up. "It was joy, I think. Pure joy. To know that I still had something to work for, someone to get better then."

"Right…" Rikku said, looking at him oddly.

"Heh, guess I made myself sound completely insane didn't I?" She nodded and he sighed contently, closing his eyes. "That's ok."

"It is?" Rikku asked.

Ryan nodded. "Insane or not, you guys like me, right?" She nodded. "Then I'll stay this way. That way, no matter where I am, I'll always know that somebody accepts me for who I am."

"I guess so." Rikku agreed as she stood up. "But I think for now, we'd better get back to camp before anyone notices that we're missing."

"Yeah, I agree." Ryan said as he stood up slowly. Glancing around he saw his sword on the ground by a group of thickly bunched trees. He walked over and picked it up, but froze when whispered voice drifted out of the trees.

"He's watching you, hating you. He's planning on killing you because you have that which he wanted more then anything. He will kill you with your own techniques." It warned in what sound like a hiss. Ryan jumped away from the trees, landing next to Rikku who was nearly half a dozen feet away.

"What's wrong?" Rikku asked in a worried voice, rolling her right sleeve up so her weapon would be free.

"Nothing, just thought I heard something." Ryan said with a smile. Rikku relaxed a little, but didn't look too convinced. "What?"

"You're lying." She said flatly.

"Huh?"

"You're lying to me. What are you hiding?" She demanded, grabbing him by the neck of his shirt and pulling him down so they were looking square in the eye.

"What would I be lying about?" Ryan questioned calmly.

Rikku bit her lip but let go. "Fine, keep your secrets." She told him before turning and stomping off in a childish manner.

Ryan waited till he was sure she was a safe distance away and turned back towards the trees. "Okay, whoever you are, get the hell out here." He demanded, pulling his gun out and turning the safety off as quietly as he could. As he watched a shadowy figure slipped out of the trees, looking more like an outline of someone then an actual person. "What was all that crap about?"

"What crap?" The figure asked in a raspy voice that clearly wasn't natural.

"The crap about someone watching and hating and planning to kill me." Ryan said dryly.

"Ah yes. A warning, nothing more. He'll come for you soon." The figure said again.

"Who are you talking about?" Ryan questioned.

"The silver haired demon that pretends to be an Angel." Came the reply.

"Silver hair… Lusniec?" Ryan questioned on a whim.

"Yes. That was his name. It had been so long, all I could remember was his face." The figure said almost sadly. "He hates you for being able to have what he wasn't able to have. For being able to do what he couldn't do. He will come for you, and he will kill you."

"Look, I might not get along with Lusniec, but I don't think things are that bad. Who are you?"

"I… do not remember." The figure said quietly, this time without any sign of a false voice. "It has been thousands of years since I've spoken with anyone. I've forgotten."

"Right… the why do you remember Lusniec?"

"Because… he was by boyfriend." The voice admitted, in yet another false voice.

"I see. Then why should I trust you? How do I know this isn't some kind of trap?"

"Because I want to see that bastard fry in hell." The shadow said. Ryan raised an eyebrow at the venomous response. "He is the one that killed me."

"So you're dead. An unsent then?" Ryan questioned.

"I don't know. Most likely yes, that is what I would still be called, but I was sent. Now I live only to see Lusniec brought low for his evil deeds."

"Evil deeds? What evil deeds?" Ryan asked, utterly mystified by the comment.

"You don't know?" The shadow asked in a surprised voice. "Lusniec can't stop killing, even after several thousands of years, his lust for blood is as strong as ever. And because he cannot attack the heir to the gods' powers, he kills his own successor. Without fail."

"Wonderful." Ryan muttered, loosening the death lock he'd had on his gun. "So how long do I have? Until I die that is."

"Every time it happens just before they reach the city of the dead. On the silent guardian you will face not only Lusniec but also two other evils that have been haunting you." The shadow told him. "It will be your grave. You cannot break the cycle. Your entire band will die on Mount Gagazet." The shadow finished quietly.

Ryan laughed. "You've got to be kidding me. Enough with the melodramatic B.S. okay?" he asked. There was a quiet chuckle from the shadow, and he couldn't be sure, but Ryan thought he saw it smile.

"What makes you think you can overcome him?" It asked calmly. "He is a demon, Ryan. You cannot stop him."

"Watch me." Ryan replied. "I won't die on gaga-whatever. I won't die until Yuna's beaten Sin, without the Final Aeon. And we'll kill Yu Yevon too, and Lusniec if he gets in our way." Ryan declared.

"A bold statement. One that has sealed your fate as well." The shadow said as it began to recede back into the trees.

"Yeah right." Ryan muttered as he watched the shadow fade away. Almost as if on cue Rikku came walking back and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"What's taking you so long? I was only joking around you know." She informed him.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." Ryan lied again.

"Right, that's why you had your hand on your gun, right?" She asked sarcastically. Ryan didn't answer, and after a few minutes of silence they turned and headed back to the camp, where they proceeded to, at last, go to bed.

888

"He doesn't have much time." Dnortih pointed out. "It will be a miracle if he can overcome it so quickly. It'd take the will of, well, a god for lack of a better word.

"Yeah, but it was the best shot we had." Vena countered. "But this new person has me worried. How does he know Lusniec? Aside from Lusniec killing him, 'cause it sounded like he knew him before that."

"It can't be good, no matter what the reason." Dnortih agreed. "But whatever the reason, we can only hope that Ryan can put an end to Lusniec's madness."

"Do you really think he can?" Vena asked.

Dnortih remained silent for a long time before answering. "I hope he can."

"So in other words you're getting ready to have his funeral." Vena summed up. "We've gotta put a stop to this, one way or another. I've watched too many good people die on that psycho's sword over the past several thousand years. I'm not gonna let another go down the shitter without doing something."

"Why are you so angry about it now?" Dnortih asked.

"I won't stand by and watch one of Andy's friends die a dog's death just because Lusniec's jealous." Vena answered automatically.

"But we can't interfere with anyone's successors but our own, you know that. Those are the rules!" Dnortih yelled.

"Fuck the rules Dnortih! This is someone's life we're talking about! He didn't ask for this, but he's stuck with it regardless. How many times as he wished he didn't have to be here I wonder. How many times has Andy, or Matt wished it? Why the hell should they suffer because we did what we were supposed to and followed the damn rules? Why!" Vena screamed. Dnortih backed away in shock.

"Because that's what destiny has in store for them. And you know that as well as I do." Dnortih replied meekly, not honestly believing it himself.

888

'Where are you I wonder.' Seph thought as he walked through the streets of Bevelle. He was fairly sure they'd left Bevelle by now, but there was no point in relying on the incompetent security force Bevelle had. So he found himself wandering through all the back streets and dark alleys of Bevelle, searching anywhere that a person could get lost in a crowd. He searched with meticulous care; his well trained aqua blue eyes not missing a thing.

"Hey stud, maybe I can help you with something." A girl called from his left. He spun around, preparing to tell her off but his comment died on his lips. "It's been awhile, Seph." She said, her brown, shoulder length hair flowing gently in the slight wind as she watched him with observant, green eyes.

"Rae, it's really been awhile." Seph admitted, glad to see someone he knew.

"So what is a sophisticated guy like you doing in a run down alley with a whore house in it I wonder." Rae said sarcastically.

"Hey, it ain't like that… well, not this time anyway." Seph informed her. "I'm here on a job. And since I can't rely on Bevelle's incompetent security force to find the people, I have to make sure they aren't in Bevelle myself."

"Hey, maybe I can help." Rae stated hopefully. Seph paled visibly at the suggestion, remembering the scene last time he'd come to her for help to find a target. He'd been with twelve other people, each a skilled assassin. In the end only the two of them had walked away alive, and had it not been for a traveling Summoner that was also a white mage they wouldn't have lasted out the night.

"I… dunno if that's such a good idea…" Seph replied uneasily.

"Oh come on, I've gotten better!" Rae retorted angrily. Seph looked at her with a raised eyebrow, obviously not believing it. "Lusa du sa, canjyhd uv tynghacc. Yneca yht cruf so vua ouin yfacusa sekrd (Come to me, servant of darkness. Arise and show my foe your awesome might)." She muttered so quietly that Seph almost missed it. Cursing at having not noticed that the street was empty he jumped back, his pendulum blades sliding down from the hidden sheaths up his arms. Almost instantly the strands of water that connected them appeared. So did the Iron Giant that Rae had summoned.

The thing was Seph's worst nightmare in the cramped space. He certainly couldn't fight it head on, and he had little room to dodge. What he did have was the ability to use his own weapon as a grappling hook, which allowed him to get over the thing. As he flew up over the things head a third pendulum dropped down his sleeve, a water line already attached to it. With his two free pendulums he started lopping off parts of the ironclad fiend's body, each dissipating into pyreflies as it was separated to from the fiend.

"Lusa du sa, cuim vemmat fedr tynghacc. Maht sa ouin sekrd cu dryd E syo cdnega tufh so vua (Come to me, soul filled with darkness. Lend me your might so that I may strike down my foe)." Rae muttered as her Iron Giant was split completely in two.

In the air above Seph a glyph formed for a fraction of a second, and then two flying eyeballs with wings and mouths came out of it. They charged Seph, but a shield of pure, scalding hot water appeared between the assassin and the fiends. As they collided with it they screeched horribly, drawing Seph's attention. Without him moving at all one of his pendulums wrapped around the two, slicing them neatly in two, along with his wall of water.

With a grin he slowly lowered himself to the ground, the length of the water cord that connected to his grappling hook pendulum slowly growing. "Well, I see you can at least control your fiends this time." He said as he dropped the last few feet, pulling the pendulum out of its place in the wall.

"See? I have gotten better. Lemme help you!" Rae whinned. Seph sighed.

"Well since you aren't going to stop whining until I do, just don't get too close in a fight." He advised her. She squealed with delight and hugged him.

"You won't regret this!" She informed him, and again he could do little but sigh.

888

Ryan found himself in his most awkward position since arriving in Spira. When he'd woken up, a little over an hour ago, he'd found himself nose-to-nose with a sleeping Rikku, who'd somehow managed to wrap him in a hug throughout the course of the night. He'd thought that Rikku looked good while she was awake, but damn she looked good while she was asleep.

'Just like a sleeping angel.' He thought as he waited for someone to wake up and help him out of his situation. Rikku moaned in her sleep and muttered something along the lines of "five more minutes dad" and Ryan couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Huh?" Rikku asked, opening one eye lazily.

"Uh… hi?" Ryan whispered helplessly as her eyes shot wide open and she blushed. But she didn't move either, just sat there and looked back at him in surprise.

"Hi…" She replied quietly, still not moving. She smiled and Ryan felt his heart skip a beat while his throat tightened. "Trying to take advantage of a poor, defenseless girl while she's sleeping?" She asked playfully. Ryan sighed with relief. "You really must be desperate then."

"Hey, it isn't my fault." Ryan countered and she looked at him with a face that clearly showed she didn't believe him. "It isn't. We were like this when I woke up… an hour ago… before the sun rose… when it was really cold…" Ryan kept adding things, and Rikku just watched him with the same face. "What?"

"Oh come on, you know you wanted to kiss me." She accused. Ryan's face went beat red, but he didn't deny it. Her smile widened, and Ryan gulped audibly. His heart skipped another beat as she leaned in a kissed him lightly. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No…" Ryan replied quietly, more then a little shocked. Rikku giggled and rolled away from him, stretching out on the still somewhat damp grass. Ryan sat up, instantly heading for the thickest grouping of trees he could see. He heard Rikku giggle as he answered nature's call.

"So that's why it was so bad being near me for an hour." Rikku said playfully when he came back.

"No, that's what happens when I get nervous." Ryan corrected. "Being trapped," He emphasized the word playfully and Rikku giggle, "next to you for an hour would've been fine if it hadn't been so cold. And I didn't wanna wake you up by moving any closer, not that I really could've…"

"Jeez, talk enough?" Matt complained, sitting up and stretching his arms. He gave a mighty yawn, which Rikku and Ryan answered with yawns of their own. "I couldn't get back to sleep."

"Hey, I've been lying here in the freaking cold, damp ground for the past hour. You've been up for, what, a half-hour? Maybe?" Ryan questioned.

"Damn, so you did notice." Matt said with a sarcastic snap of his fingers.

"No, I just know that you try to go back to sleep for a half hour, and only get up if you can't." Ryan said. "Or that's what you told me once."

"Oh yeah." Matt said through a yawn, making the words barely perceivable.

"Stop yawing damn it." Ryan demanded, barely stifling a yawn himself.

"Good morning." Yuna said, walking towards them from down a path they hadn't noticed.

"Morning." Matt replied, waving slightly.

"Morning Yuna."

"Morning Yunie!" Rikku said a little too loud. She covered her mouth like a child who'd just said a bad word and looked around. Wakka stirred before sitting up, Kimahri jumped down from a tree, Andy yawned and stretched before sitting up, Lulu sat up almost instantly, and Tidus just rolled onto his back and looked up lazily. "Morning everyone?" Rikku asked in an innocent voice.

The newly awoken group mumbled replies through yawns of their own, which caused Yuna and Ryan to yawn, and then Matt and Rikku. "Not again." Ryan said helplessly as the group continued to yawn in a seemingly never-ending cycle.

"You're all awake. Then we leave." Auron said, walking up the path they'd take out of Bevelle.

"No time for breakfast?" Ryan complained.

"No." Auron stated simply.

Ryan sighed again before picking up Wind Cutter and walking after the unsent. Slowly the rest of the group followed, obviously not morning people. During the walk Wakka asked Ryan why he wasn't tired. "I'm a freak, remember?" He replied with a smiled. Other then that the walk was made in a silence that was thicker then any fog could have ever hoped to be. Eventually the group came to an opening in the forest.

"The light at the end of the tunnel." Matt whispered as they walked through. The scene behind was almost surreal after the hell they'd gone through in Bevelle and Macalania Woods. It was a sea of grass, disturbed only by a giant rift in the ground, a few Chocobo running around, some lady riding a Chocobo, and a group of tents towards the middle.

"Wow. It's giant." Ryan muttered as he watched the sea of grass ripple in a gentle breeze.

"The Clam Land." Lulu informed them. "Long ago the High Summoners fought Sin here. The road ends here. Beyond, there's no more towns, no more villages. Only endless plains."

"Many Summoners stray from their path and lose their way here." Auron added. Everyone glanced at Yuna, who had laid down and was now looking at the clouds.

"I've always known where to go." She said quietly.

"I… I won't let you die." Tidus told her. "I'll find a way, somehow." He reached down and helped her up as he said the last part.

Yuna smiled. "Let's go." She said as she started walk down a ramp looking piece of earth that led into the sea of grass. The going was slow, mostly because of the numerous monsters the group had to cut down. More then once they'd found themselves surrounded by coyote looking things, and sometimes they had to fight off two or three things that looked like the thing they'd fought outside of Macalania Temple. The most annoying, and hardest to kill, however were the giant plants with millions of little tentacles and a giant mouth. At the beginning of every fight with one of them they'd breath poison on the group. And it wasn't a normal poison either. It made some go blind, some go mute, some go insane and start attacking with only physical attacks, some of the group started attacking randomly, and some just passed out. The only saving grace against the poison was Rikku and her special Al Bhed potions, which cured most of the effects of the poison.

When they finally got to the group of tents in the middle they were exhausted. After about twenty minutes some monk came walking into the area. Immediately walking over to.

"Father Zuke!" She said happily.

"Long time no see." The man replied, obviously happy to see the black mage. He turned to Yuna. "You are Yuna? Hmmm… you certainly don't look like Maester Kinoc's murderer." He stated.

"What'd you say?" Wakka asked, apparently angered by the comment.

"Please, tell us what has happened!" Yuna pleaded with the man.

Father Zuke remained quiet for a moment before nodding. "Maester Mika just issued a personal order, you know. It said that you and your guardians murdered Maester Kinoc and fled. You are to be killed on sight, or so it says." Maester Zuke told them.

"Sorry, the pleasure of killing Kinoc was Seymour's." Ryan said quietly. Father Zuke looked at him curiously. "But that's irrelevant. You didn't come all the way out here just to tell us that, did you?" He asked, on hand already on the hilt of his sword. He noticed Tidus and Matt had their hands on their weapons, and Andy had his completely drawn and held down at his sides.

"What of Bevelle?" Auron questioned, obviously not threatened by the monk.

"Things are calm on the surface, but the depths are turbulent. After the death of Maester Kinoc, Kelk Ronso left Yevon."

"Convenient. Getting around will be easier with Yevon in disarray." Auron told them quietly.

"Be careful, my friends." Father Zuke warned them. "You have been branded enemies of Yevon. You should avoid temples for the time being."

"Thank you, father Zuke, for your warning." Yuna said with a bow.

"Father, you came all the way out here to tell us that?" Lulu asked doubtfully, obviously thinking along the same lines Ryan had been.

"To tell the truth I was a little curious to see… this Summoner you are guarding. I hope her pilgrimage goes well. For your sake, too." Zuke added.

"Thank you, Father."

"I shall be off. I shall pray for all of you." Zuke said as he turned to leave.

"A friend of yours?" Tidus asked Lulu.

"I guarded Father Zuke on my first pilgrimage." Lulu admitted. "It ended here. And my second… it ended here too."

"Third times the charm." Ryan told her absently, watching as a lady on a Chocobo rode by.

"Would you like to raise a Chocobo?" she asked the group, apparently having noticed Ryan watching her.

"Yeah!" Tidus said enthusiastically.

"Many, you're such a kid." Matt muttered as he watched Tidus sprint towards the lady who was giggling to herself.

"We don't have time for this." Auron said in an agitated voice, moving towards Tidus.

"Auron!" Ryan said suddenly. The man stopped and looked back at the boy, annoyance etched over his normally calm face. "We all need to relax a little. Everyone's too uptight right now." Auron glared at him, but made no move forward as Tidus rode off with the lady.

"Hey, let's go exploring!" Rikku suggested in an excited voice. Ryan, Matt, and Andy looked at her oddly. "What?"

"How old are you exactly…" Ryan questioned. He'd known several girls that… developed… somewhat faster then most, and was staring to wonder if he'd have to add Rikku to that list.

"15, why?" She asked.

"Nothing, just wondering." Ryan replied with a shrug. Matt smiled as Rikku stepped up to Ryan and pressed her nose against his, pouting a little.

"Too old for you little boy?" She asked mockingly. Ryan smiled.

"More like a little too young." He replied calmly. Rikku's eyes widened in surprise while she took a step back, and Matt and Andy burst out laughing. "Wouldn't you agree guys?"

"Definitely." Andy agreed. "You need someone, what? 20, 21?"

"Something like that." Ryan agreed with a smile and a nod of his head.

"Hey, stop joking around you big meanie." Rikku said, trying to lecture them despite the fact that she knew they were kidding around, and making no attempt to hide it. "Come to think of it… I dunno how old you really are."

"Heh, guess you'll just have to remember to ask me sometime." Ryan replied.

"No fair! I told you how old I am!" Rikku complained.

"True…" Ryan admitted.

"Bark. Bark." Matt whispered to Ryan as he got up and walked past his friend, the taunt coming out so low only Ryan heard them.

Ryan sighed. "Guess I should start checking for whip marks, huh?"

"Maybe." Matt agreed jokingly while Andy and Rikku looked at them oddly.

"Well, I'm bored. And unless anyone has a better suggestion then Rikku's, I'm going exploring." Ryan told his friends. Rikku smiled as his hand dropped down into her hand and he let her lead the way. They walked around for a long time, twice getting passed by Tidus who was thoroughly enjoying his Chocobo.

After awhile they found a crack in what they'd though to have been a solid wall, but they didn't get the chance to explore it since Tidus was riding over sadly, which could only mean Auron was making them leave.

As they followed Auron through the only trail leading out of the calm lands other then the way they'd entered, a Guado stood barring their way. "Geez, move would you?" Ryan complained. "Or leave us alone." He said as another Guado appeared.

"Summons from Lord Seymour. Come with us!"

"We have nothing to discuss with Maester Seymour!" Yuna replied firmly.

"Yeah, so out of our way!" Tidus agreed, drawing his sword and dropping into a ready stance.

"Lord Seymour's commands must be obeyed. You will come! I warn you, the Maester doesn't need you alive." The Guado said before walking away.

"Wow…. It actually worked?" Ryan asked in disbelief.

"No." Auron said as the ground started to shake, signaling the arrival of something big.

"My god." Andy whispered as a giant machina that looked like it was made out of rocks came up a path that led down to who knows where. "It's giant."

"Oh man. This is gonna take some work." Ryan muttered as he drew his sword. He saw an axe fly by, but it bounced off the robot harmlessly. "Yeah, this is gonna take some work.

"Firaga!" Andy and Lulu yelled at the same time, both spells slamming into the giant machina, but still doing little damage.

"Mental Break." Auron cried as charged the thing. He slashed it, but even his heavy sword did little damage to the machine's heavily armored body. In return in swung one of its own massive fist into Auron, who barely managed to block it. Ryan and Tidus charged in, swords coming down on the thing's arm and bouncing off harmlessly.

The monster swung an arm at them almost lazily. The two easily dodged, Tidus jumping back and Ryan jumping over the arm. He landed on it and jumped onto the shoulder, where he shoved his sword into the shoulder joint. He heard something crack and prayed that it wasn't Wind Cutter's blade as he pulled it out of the machine. His relief that it had been something in the machina after all was quickly washed away as the arm started to swing about wildly. It hit him in the back and knocked him to the ground. And he didn't get back up, much to the horror of his friends.

"Ryan!" Tidus and Rikku yelled at the same time.

"Suzaku!" Andy yelled, snapping his fingers and casting fire spells as fast as he could until he had twelve balls of fire in the air in front of him. As the god started to form from the fire a hand shot through, slamming into Andy and knocking him to the ground. "Ow."

Kimahri jumped in front of Andy, who was struggling to get up, and launched a wave of fire out of his mouth. "What the hell… Talk about dragon breath." Matt muttered as he took the opportunity to charge the machine, Lightning Edge held on a slant over his right shoulder. With a cry he slammed it into the machine's leg, nearly slicing it off at the knee. The machine lurched to the side, its balance having been thrown off by Matt's attack. Without stopping the boy charged around and took an overhead swing into what he assumed was the elbow of the arm that Auron had been locked against. This time the appendage came clean off, the force of the blow sending Lightning Edge's head into the ground. Suddenly a giant dragon with a pinwheel looking thing on its back, stood on two legs, gave off an air of arrogance, and stood at least fifteen feet high was starring down at the battered Machina.

"Matt, move!" Yuna informed him. "And get Ryan too!" Matt nodded, ran over to Ryan's body and picked up his unconscious friend, who was still holding Wind Cutter tightly. Smirking he ran until he was next to the Aeon, which now had four balls of dark energy around it. With a roar unlike anything he'd ever heard before the Aeon launched the balls at the machine. There was an explosion, and when all was said and done there was nothing but scorched ground and rubble where the monster had been.

"Wow." Matt said in awe of the giant dragon's powers. In the time that it taken him to say that three letter word Yuna had dismissed Bahamut and was already starting to heal Ryan. "Geez, talk about efficient."

"Ryan's my friend." Yuna said simply. After the first healing spell Ryan had woken up, once again to find three Yuna's starring down at him.

"Geez, pick a number would you?" He asked, and Yuna looked at him oddly. "One of you or three." He explained jokingly, despite the waves of pain that shot through his chest when he laughed.

"Sorry, I'll try to stay just one person next time." Yuna said in relief.

"Yeah. One of you is hard enough to guard. I dunno what I'd do if there were three of you running around." Andy added, drawing a laugh from everyone.

"Hey, what's down there?" Tidus asked, pointing to the path the machina had used.

"It leads to the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth." Lulu informed them, a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Stolen Fayth? You mean you can steal a Fayth?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. They're living souls imprisoned in statues." Yuna told him. "But they are still just statues. While it would be hard to get it out of the temple, it's not impossible."

"Oh."

888

"I think it's finally safe to say that they aren't in Bevelle, Seph." Rae complained. "So why are we still here?"

"What's wrong, get into some trouble here?" Seph questioned without breaking his pace.

"You could say she has." A couple of guys walking towards the two said.

"Shit." Rae muttered. Seph sighed.

"Give'er to us and we'll let you live kid."

"No." Seph said flatly.

"What's that? You say no ta da boss?" Another thug demanded, this time from behind him. Seph chuckled, having been too bored to notice him earlier.

"I'll give ya one last chance, boy." The first guy said, stopping and pulling out a bastard sword that looked like it could've rivaled Auron's in weight. "Give us the girl and I won't cut off both yer arms."

"You deaf?" Seph questioned, raising an eyebrow at the man. "I already said 'no' once, what makes you think that I'm gonna give you my woman now?"

"Hey, I'm not your woman!" Rae replied in a mock-offended voice.

"Oh, you'd rather have these brutes," Seph questioned, motioning to the three guys around them with an exaggerated swing of his arm, hiding the pendulum blade that dropped into his hand in the process, "then the top hit man in the world?"

Rae pretended to ponder the question, and did her best to draw the attention of all three of the men who were almost drooling over her as it was. A few shakes of her hip and Seph was lost from their minds. Seph exploded into motion, launching the first pendulum into the eye of the guy with the bastard sword. Cursing as he spun, another already in his hand, he caught sight of Rae elbowing the guy behind him. Leaving her to deal with him for the moment he continued his spin, launching the pendulum intentionally early. It soared past the second guy Seph had noticed, missing by more then a foot.

"Mine!" The man yelled as the pendulum soared down the alley, water already attached to its back. With a grin Seph finished the connection and twisted his rope of water. The pendulum did a 180, flying back to erupt through the man's chest, killing the thug instantly. Whipping his head around he saw Rae duck, obviously having heard the dying man's screams, knowing instantly what it had meant. The pendulum soared through her hair as she dropped, just seconds before the blade passed through the air she'd just been in. There was a second of resistance in the rope as the pendulum hit the guy's helmet. Only a second of resistance though, as the razor sharp, magically enchanted pendulum pierced through the meager defense. Rae sat there, starring at the man as blood shot out of his head in a grisly fountain.

"So who were they?" Seph asked as he pulled the pendulum he'd embedded in the sword wielding thug's head free.

"J.. just some guys that couldn't take a hint." Rae stammered, still starring at the man. She felt a hand on her shoulder and stiffened. Looking up she saw Seph studying her calmly.

"You gonna be ok with me doing this a lot?" He asked her, knowing that this wouldn't be the last time she saw him kill someone so heartlessly.

"Yeah… just a little shocking to see it for the first time." She replied as he helped her up. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"If you say so." Seph resigned uncertainly. She was as pale as anyone Seph had ever seen, and she was shaking badly. "You know you don't have to come with. I could find someone to watch out for you somewhere else, until everything settles down. I'm pretty good friends with this Al Bhed named Rin, he's got travel agencies all over Spira."

"No, I said I wanted to come with you so I'm coming with you damn it!" Rae responded crossly. "Now, where are we going? I can't wait to be out of this place, it's too… holy for me."

"Go figure, the seat of Yevon's power is holy." Seph teased, rolling his eyes dramatically. Rae glared and he couldn't help but smile. "Never saw that coming. Anyway, I'm not sure where we're going. Yet."

"Lemme guess, you know who to ask." Rae questioned dryly. Seph nodded.

"But of course. You have to know in my line of business." Seph informed her. "Or our line of business I should say."

"Yeah. Now who do we ask?"

"Well if this place is too holy for you, you aren't gonna like it." Seph warned.

"Just tell me."

"Okay." He replied with a helpless shrug. "We're gonna ask Grand Maester Mika." Rae groaned. "Told you that you weren't going to like it."

Twenty minutes later the two found themselves standing in front of the Grand Maester of Yevon. "Yes children? What is it that you wish to know?"

"Where are Lady Yuna and her guardians?" Seph demanded in a not-too-friendly voice.

"You're no longer needed for that job, my dear assassin." Mika told Seph sternly. "Maester Seymour's been reassigned to deal with those traitors."

Seph burst out in laughter. "What makes you think that he'll do any better this time then the last two times?" He questioned.

"What makes me thing that? Simple, my dear boy." Mika told him. "We have a better assassin this time. One whose name has been only whispered for these past thousands of years."

"You're kidding me." Seph muttered, losing his patience with the man. "So indulge me. Who'd you get?"

"Lusniec." The name made Seph's blood run cold and he started to sweat a great deal. "Ah, so even Spira's number one assassin fears someone who could stand up to a god."

"Afraid? You've got me all wrong." Seph told the Maester, a warped look of glee in his eye. "I'm excited. When I think of fighting a legend like Lusniec, I get excited."

"You're insane." Rae muttered, shaking her head in disbelief as the horror stories she heard throughout her life came flooding back. Stories that had turned the most battle hardened warriors pale with disgust and awe as the villagers sat around the fire. Hundreds dying in mere minutes when he was around, how nobody ever escaped his demonic blade. And then he'd just vanished.

"Maybe. Maybe not. We'll see when we get there." Seph replied in a calm voice, but his eyes were still wide with anticipation.

"Where are you going?" Mika demanded.

"Dunno yet. But Seymour's been assigned to kill them, which means someone in this shit hole is bound to know where he is." Seph replied, emphasizing the words "shit hole" a great deal and enjoying the angry look that it drew from the Maester.

"Watch who you cross, assassin." Mika hissed the warning through clenched teeth. "Even you cannot defeat Lusniec, and now he works for us. Willingly none the less." The last part caught Seph's attention and he turned back to face the Maester with an evil gleam in his eye.

"You watch who you cross, you shriveled piece of shit." He warned in a dangerous voice that made Rae back away unconsciously. "Because Lusniec's not the only one that can stand against the gods."

Mika's face lost as much color as Rae's had earlier, and he shook visibly. "Seph, that's enough. Come on, let's go." Rae said quietly, putting her hand on Seph's shoulder. He tensed and she closed her eyes, expecting him to backhand her on a natural reaction. After a few seconds of nothing she opened her eyes and saw Seph looking at her oddly.

"Okay, fine. We'll leave." He agreed. "But know this Mika. An assassin I may be, and an unsent you may be, but you're one job that I'd gladly take for free." Seph warned as he led Rae out of the room, not bothering to look back.

888

Yuna and her group found themselves looking at a cave ten minutes after having started down the slope. "So there's a Fayth in there?" Rikku questioned.

"Yes." Lulu confirmed, drawing a sidelong glance from Ryan and Matt as she led the way in. The cave was dark, and damp, and the sound of water dripping was everywhere. Before they went any farther Andy started two small fires, their flickering light illuminating some of the gloom. Lulu, still in the lead, took off at her normal pace, a small fire in her own hand so she could avoid the numerous rocks in the path.

"Hey, where'd Ryan and Matt go?" Tidus questioned, noticing the two missing before anyone else.

"I… don't know. I didn't see them wander off." Yuna admitted, slightly shocked that they'd left without any notice when every footstep made an echo.

"Don't worry." Matt's voice bounced off the walls, hiding where it was really coming from.

"We're still here." Ryan agreed, his voice also bouncing off the walls.

"Hey, you ain't trying to scare us, are you?" Wakka demanded, looking around wildly.

"Chill out Wakka. You'll give yourself whiplash at that rate." Ryan advised, having done it once before himself. "Besides, it wasn't that hard to get away. And if we wanted to scare you, would we be talking?"

"Especially since you didn't hear us leave in the first place?" Matt added.

"I guess not." Wakka admitted, calming down. The group walked on in silence, glancing around every once and awhile to see if they could catch a glimpse of the two invisible guardians who moved no closer then just beyond the edge of the light Andy and Lulu were giving off, making themselves seem eerily ghost like. A gasp and something muttered in disbelief from Lulu brought everyone's attention to the front of the firelight. Standing there was a female Summoner who seemed rather pissed at the black mage. She made a simple gesture and a giant samurai, complete with kimono, straw hat, armor, and mask, appeared with a dog that had bone like swirls coming out of it's body at random spots appeared, filling the cave with moonlight and revealing Ryan and Matt.

888

"Shelinda!" Seph cried, flagging down the newly appointed head of Bevelle's defensive force.

"Oh, Sir Seph. I trust your meeting with Grand Maester Mika went well?" Shelinda asked with a bow.

"Yeah, 'bout the same as always." Seph said, returning the bow. "Anyway, do you know where Maester Seymour went?"

"Um… lemme think for a moment." Shelinda said, tapping her chin with her forefinger as she thought. She snapped her fingers and said: "That's right, Maester Seymour left for Mount Gagazet! Although it's odd he'd go with only that one swordsman and Baralai."

"Baralai?" Rae repeated the name, obviously having never heard it before.

"Yeah, he's Seymour's errand boy more or less. He's supposed to be a decent fighter in his own right, but I didn't know he was back. So he's finally finishing up his training to become a Maester of Yevon is he?"

"Yes. After this trip to Gagazet, with the loss of Lord Kinoc, and the sudden retirement of Lord Kelk Ronso, there is a great need of a new, younger Maester." Shelinda explained.

"Yeah, makes sense." Seph said absently. 'I thought he was training with Gippal and Nooj… is that elite squad of theirs a little more important to Yevon?'

"Is something wrong Lord Seph?" The question snapped Seph out of his thoughts, and he found himself into 2 worried faces.

"Yeah, sorry, just kinda got sidetracked for a second." Seph lied. "Well thanks for the information Shelinda. Take care!"

"You too, Lord Seph." Shelinda replied, bowing to his retreating back. A gentle breeze picked up, which struck her as odd since she was inside. Looking around her confusion double, since she was in a large room without windows, and with all the heavy oak doors closed. "Odd…" She muttered as the wind continued to pick up until it was nearly strong enough to knock her off her feet. Her mind raced, trying desperately to figure out what was happening, but coming up with the same answer, that it couldn't be. "Please Yevon, protect me." She whispered the prayer as she was lifted off the ground…

And into someone. She turned around and saw a man in a snow-white kimono, with long silver hair. He stood somewhere around six foot five, and had a sword nearly as long as he was tall. He also had the most beautiful, silver eyes Shelinda had ever seen in her life.

"You ok?" He asked. Shelinda nodded numbly. "That's good. I'd like to ask you a question, if that's alright with you." Again Shelinda nodded numbly. "Where did you tell Seph that Seymour was headed?"

"Mount… Gagazet." Shelinda squeaked.

"Good girl." The man said, patting her on the shoulder gently as he walked towards the nearest door, the odd wind starting to pick up again. As he opened the door another powerful blast of wind came rampaging through the door, knocking Shelinda onto her rear. When she looked up the man was gone, and the door was still open, but the door was still open.

"I should go tell this to Maester Mika!" Shelinda realized, thinking out loud. Hurrying she scrambled to her feet and sprinted off to the Grand Maester's room to report what had just happened.

888

"Which Aeon is this?" Ryan asked, watching the massive samurai closely. He couldn't see any weapons, other then a short sword, but it did have a big coat to hide things under. Even so, he doubted that a long sword would be easy to hide.

"Yojimbo. The Phoenix." Lulu said quietly, still watching the woman who was now weaving her hands through a mystical pattern.

"Lulu, Ryan, back!" Auron yelled suddenly. The warning came too late though; the two whirled around to see a semi-transparent wall cut them off from their friends, who were already hacking away at it, each strike glowing for a few seconds before being repelled by the powerful magic.

"Oh shit." Ryan muttered as Matt and Andy started hurling third level spells at the wall, and still it just glowed and then repelled the attacks. Even Suzaku and Yamu didn't do anything to the shield.

"Enough." Auron told the two. "We wait."

"What?" Matt panted. "They're in there with," he stopped to take a breath, "a Summoner and an Aeon that can do who knows what, and you want us to wait?"

"Can you get through the shield?" Auron questioned simply. Matt growled and threw Lightning Edge into the ground. His hands flew through the three hand gestures for the Chidori.

"Let's find out." With that Matt charged the barrier, slamming his right hand into it as hard as he could. For a second the wall started to give a little, but as his hopes rose a surge of magical energy rushed into the part where the Chidori hit the wall, repairing it and knocking Matt back a dozen feet.

"Ready to wait yet?" Auron asked.

"Fuck you." Matt muttered as he watched the barrier, silently fuming from his seat on the ground. Auron glanced up, well aware that at least one god was watching the events unfold.

888

"Damn it! Auron's supposed to be watching out for them!" Vena complained as he and Dnortih watched the events in the Cavern of the Stolen Fayth. "And he knows we're watching! And he's smirking at us!"

"Relax." Dnortih told his friend quietly. "We can't do anything from here."

"So we'll go there, bust down that barrier, and bam! We show that Aeon what pain really is."

"No, that won't work either." Dnortih said, shaking his head. "Auron doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to do something without a reason. He's got something up his sleeve."

"You sure?" Vena asked, still nervous.

Dnortih was quiet for a while before replying, "Here's hoping."

888

"Lulu, you seem to know a lot about this cave. Know anything about this Aeon?" Ryan asked as he walked over to stand next to his friend.

Lulu shook her head. "No." She told him simply.

"Ooh boy. This is gonna take some doing."

"Leave the Summoner to me." Lulu said quietly. Ryan looker at her oddly. "Sorry, but it's my last duty as her guardian."

Ryan gawked at her, but Lulu was already charging up a fire spell. With a helpless shrug, and a look that let her know they'd talk about it later, he walked forward. The dog thing started charging him, easily covering the twenty feet between Ryan and the Aeon in half the time it would've take a human. Ryan spun to the left, drawing his sword in the process. The blade slashed out, opening a cut from the things ribs to its back leg. It let out yelp of pain and collapsed onto the ground, whimpering.

"Sorry." He offered before turning to face the Aeon itself. They starred each other down for a while before Yojimbo reached into its sleeve and produced three kunai. It threw them at Ryan. He spun his right foot back, moving just enough to dodge the daggers. "That's it?" he asked in disbelief.

Before Yojimbo could do anything Ryan charged. Running past the thing at full speed, he expect to cut it clean in half, but at the last second it slammed down on the back of its sheath and drew the sword straight up a little, knocking the attack wide. Spinning to keep Ryan in front of itself, it dropped into a drawing stance. With one fluid motion, that showed only the tip of the Aeon's deadly skill, it drew the sword and sheathed it. At first Ryan didn't understand, but that changed when he felt the wind given off by the attack cut his arm. It wasn't very deep, and he barely felt it, but the fact that Yojimbo was standing nearly twenty feet away worried him.

"That's a neat trick." Ryan admitted as he put the blade of his sword on the ground. "Now let me show you one. Hiten Mitsurugi Style Do Ryu Sen!" He yelled, swinging his sword up so fast that it ripped a great deal of rock up with it, launching more then a dozen large rocks, and countless little ones at Yojimbo. He took his first step to charge in and felt a wave of pain roll over his left leg. With a cry he looked down and saw Yojimbo's dog, its mouth clamped onto his leg. "Die already!" He yelled, slamming his sword's blade through the thing's skull. For a second it sat there, starring at him dumbly before fading into pyreflies. Without wasting any time he reached down and placed a hand on the wounded appendage. Instantly the powerful healing magic took effect, closing up the wounds, but leaving the scars. Ryan looked up just in time to see the rocks split in two by Yojimbo's sword. You've got to be shitting me." He whispered in disbelief.

888

Lulu wasn't fairing much better. She was casting every spell she knew against her former friend, but they bounced off every time. She cast nine Firaga spells at the unsent Summoner, only to watch them bounce off of her protective barrier.

"Please, go to the Farplane and find peace with your death!" She pleaded. The Summoner watched her with hatred in her eyes, and cast the only offensive spell available to a white mage, Holy. The spell slammed into Lulu, knocking her back into the wall, which blasted her back to the ground with another dose of Holy energy. She fell to the ground, her back smoke from the powerful spell, and she could smell little aside from the burnt leather and fur of her outfit. She heard someone calling her name in the distance, but the pain rolling through her body mad it impossible for her to tell who it belonged to as she stood up slowly. She glanced over and saw Ryan, covered in a dozen or more open wounds struggling to get up too.

888

"I can't watch this anymore!" Tidus yelled. He stepped passed his friends and jumped into the air. He hung there for a second, his sword blade glowing white-hot as energy pulsed through it. With a cry he swung down, peppering the magical barrier with dozens of balls of pure energy.

"You can't break it." Auron told him as he dropped back to the ground, starring in surprise and horror at the unblemished barrier.

"But we have to help them!" Tidus yelled back.

"Believe in them." Rikku said quietly.

"What's that?" Tidus asked in disbelief. "Look at them Rikku. Look at them!" He shouted, pointing at the fight raging behind the barrier. "They're going to die at this rate!"

"No they won't! They're stronger then some dead Summoner and an Aeon! They'll win!" She yelled in reply, but she couldn't keep the fear of them dying out of her eyes.

"No they--" Tidus was cut off by Matt's fist.

"Shut the hell up, you whining little bitch!" He yelled, utterly fed up with Tidus's pessimism. "I get enough pessimism from Ryan, I don't need any from you."

"It's not pessimism, it's the truth!" Tidus hissed as he stood up and punched Matt in the stomach.

"Bastard!" Matt muttered as he jumped forward, slamming his shoulder into Tidus and knocking them both to the ground. As they rolled Tidus managed to get his feet against Matt's stomach, and pushed him off.

"Enough!" Auron cried, grabbing Tidus by the back of the collar and easily lifting him off the ground, Kimahri do the same with Matt who just sat and glared at Tidus who was still thrashing. "They in there fighting for their lives. Think of a way to help them instead of wasting your energy against each other."

888

Ryan couldn't believe how good Yojimbo's defense was. Despite its lack of speed and agility, Ryan had yet to land a single hit, while Yojimbo had landed dozens. Ryan had been forced to heal so many wounds that he didn't have anymore magical strength left, which left in a very vulnerable position since Yojimbo seemed to hit every time he attacked with his sword. As he sat there panting, Yojimbo sheathed his short sword and brought his right hand up in front of him, pinky and ring fingers folded down, middle and pointer fingers crooked. A purple rift that reminded Ryan of the rift Anima came out of formed at the ground. Only instead of the dark Aeon, a sword that gave off an evil feeling rose up out of the ground.

"Wonderful." Ryan muttered as Yojimbo unsheathed it and through the sheath to the ground. The Aeon charged the exhausted teen, but stopped more then a dozen feet away and slashed the air. Ryan ducked on instinct, having learned since the Aeon used his short sword to make sharp blades of air that it was better to duck then block. He felt something pass over him and risked a glance back. His heart sank the instant he saw the wall behind him. It had a deep cut in it, at least a dozen feet long, and half that deep. "Shit…" was all Ryan could think of to describe his situation. He heard Yojimbo's sandals hitting the ground and realized that he wouldn't be able to dodge the next one. He closed his eyes and found the link to Lusniec's power, which had been so diminished by the exhausting battle that there was barely anything left. When he opened his eyes Wind Cutter was glowing, and he thanked whatever god was listening. Turn his attention back to the battle at hand he saw Yojimbo slash at him horizontally. "Wind Cutter!" Ryan yelled, slashing straight down with his sword. A sliver of white light flew off the blade and clashed with the invisible wind that was Yojimbo's attack. The two attacks sat there for a few seconds, neither attack gaining any ground, and then they exploded, sending Yojimbo back more then a dozen feet, and throwing Ryan into the wall, which didn't hurt him other then the sudden stop. He tried to stand up, and found that his arms and legs were going numb with each passing second. 'Not good. I have to end this now.' Ryan thought in horror as he looked forward at Yojimbo, who was already up and retrieving his sword. 'It's all that damn sword's fault. If it were a normal length, I'd have won by now. What to do about it though…' Ryan wondered. Straightforward attacks didn't work, Yojimbo just batted them aside; magic attacks would probably work, but he didn't have enough to heal a paper-cut, let alone a use another Wind Cutter; and then there was the numbness spreading through his body.

888

"Why is it blocking all of Ryan's attacks?" Rikku questioned, turning to Auron.

Matt cut the older guardian off before he could say anything, "It's the sword length. Yojimbo's sword is shorter, which means its lighter, which in turn means it's easier to swing. When you combine that with the fact that Yojimbo's better then Ryan with a sword to begin with, and that Yojimbo fights defensively, using a short sword to keep his opponents from being able to hit him and attack from a distance, Ryan's in a bad spot."

"So it's because of the sword length?" Rikku questioned, a confused look on her face.

"Isn't that what I just said? That it was the…" The rest of Matt's complaint died on his lips as something in his mind clicked. "Ryan!" He yelled, drawing his friend's attention. "It's just like Kenshin Vs. Aoshi! You have to hit more then one spot at once! Or make you blade shorter!"

888

"It's just like Kenshin Vs. Aoshi! You have to hit more then one spot at once! Or make your blade shorter!" Matt's words cut through the cave, echoing loudly.

"More then one spot…" Ryan repeated, a thin smile creeping onto his lips. "Hey Matt, think nine will work?" He yelled back, a surge of hope rushing through his body as Matt and Andy smiled and nodded.

888

"More then one spot?" Rikku repeated, even more confused.

"Matt, what did Ryan mean by nine spots?" Auron demanded, whirling on the axe-wielding guardian.

"Hello? What spots are you talking about!" Rikku whinned.

Matt grinned back at Auron. "It's simple. By pushing the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style to its limits, Ryan can strike all nine of the targets in swordsmanship simultaneously."

Auron's eye widened. "Such an attack… it's unstoppable." He whispered. "Why did he ever use it before?"

Matt shrugged. "It's entirely possible that he couldn't, and it's entirely possible that he can't right now either." He admitted. "But it's better then thinking there's no hope, right?"

"What spots are you talking about!" Rikku demanded.

Auron sighed and turned back to the battle. "In swordsmanship there are nine targets that all attacks and defenses are based around. Right shoulder, left shoulder, right arm, left arm, right wrist, left wrist, in between the legs, the chest, and the head." Auron told her. "Someone who could attack all nine at once has an attack that is impossible to defend against."

"Wow. I need to have him teach me how to do that." Tidus whispered in awe.

"Let's see if he can even do it first." Matt reminded them as Yojimbo and Ryan began their final charge.

888

'Right shoulder, left shoulder, right arm, left arm, right wrist, left wrist, in between the legs, the head, and the chest. Gotta hit them all in one shot!' Ryan thought to himself as he charged Yojimbo, who was bringing his long sword back out, leaving nearly a solid wall of black after images behind him. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Kuzu Ryu Sen!" He shouted, thrusting forward with all of his remaining strength. There was a bright flash that filled the chamber as the two blades clashed.

888

Lulu didn't waste the opportunity that the flash of light provided. With a scream she launched more then a dozen third level spells at the unsent she was battling. The first seven bounced off the protective barrier, but the last six made it through, incinerating the unsent instantly. She turned to see how Ryan had fared and her heart sank. Yojimbo was still standing, and Ryan was on his knees coughing up blood. "Ryan!" She yelled, turning to face the Aeon herself. As soon as she stopped spinning she felt lightheaded, and the next thing she knew she was sitting on the ground.

"Don't worry about it Lu." Ryan managed to say as the light in the cavern started to fade. "I didn't miss."

"What?" Lulu asked. Ryan pointed towards Yojimbo in reply. When she looked back Lulu saw Pyreflies leaking through nine holes, each one of the strikes having gone completely through the Aeon's body and out the back.

"Hey, lazy ass." Matt yelled, walking towards his battered friend who was still coughing up blood. "When'd you master that?"

Ryan looked at Matt and smiled weakly. "About fifteen seconds ago." He admitted as Yuna rushed over to him, more then ready to heal the dozens of cuts covering his body. "And it looks like I'm going to need another new shirt ta boot." He added, drawing a laugh from everyone and releasing the tension.

* * *

well there it is. i've got TB, not really, so why am i coughing up blood? but i took Yojimbo down, that's what really matters. and lusniec and seymour have teamed up. we didn't seem to have too much trouble with Seymour last time, but how will we fare when the strongest swordsman to ever walk Spira has his back? and what's the story between Rae and Seph? exactly how close are they? all this and some startling events in the next chapter, on Gagazet, silent guardian of the city of the dead.read and review!


	14. Battles on Gagazet

wow... i hit writers block on this one. be warned everyone, there is a very brief gay moment in this chapter, and i'm talking literally. you'll know what i mean when you come to it. now onto replies!

BOrn-Slippy- Welcome to the group! you only got to chapter 4 by the time you read this you'll probably be as hooked as everyone else... and i'm glad you think i deserve more reviews too!

inuyasha91- Welcome! wow, two new fans! that's awesome. too bad you won't see this for awhile, but i'm glad you like my fic! it seems to come so naturally... once i get past my writers block anyway...

Da Ker MysTeRr- lol, i thought it might be a good thing. and i'm glad it's still on your top ten fav. list! that means so much to me! i guess you'll be happy to know i just downloaded the X-2 script for the sequal then... and if you liked any of my encounters with lusniec before, wait till you see this one...

Sephirothxx- yeah, here it is, so stop harrassing me at lunch!

labrat-seph- sorry? i'm not very good with catagories... and as for the battousi thing, wait till you see me go in this one, hehehe... and our battle with Yu Yevon is rather... expanded, shall i say? i dunno, but it takes up three books so...

lightningwizard- bastard, you're not sorry for not reviewing. way i've heard it, you did it purposely because i couldn't free up anytime to reveiw your story. regardless, it's good to see you get a review in again. i'm not sure the fights in this one are as good as the one yojimbo, but the plot's thickening quickly...

wow... that's all! well, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14:Battles on Gagazet

Twenty minutes after the fight with Yojimbo the group found the faith. And they had to give up nearly all of their money just to get Yojimbo to work for them no less. "Apparently the name 'Yojimbo' is for real, and not just some nickname." Ryan muttered as they walked back into the sun.

"Why's that?" Rikku questioned.

"Well, were the three of us come from, 'Yojimbo' means 'Bodyguard'." Ryan explained. "And they're expensive as hell."

"You of all people would know." Matt said jokingly. "I mean, you are the damn-Japanese-assassin wannabe, right?"

"Damn-Japanese-assassin wannabe?" Rikku repeated the words, watching Ryan who just smiled and shook his head. "What's that all about?"

"Just a nickname Matt gave me when we first got to Spira." He told her.

888

"Seph, where are we?" Rae questioned as they entered Macalania Woods. "It's beautiful."

"Macalania Woods always were." Seph admitted. "But you weren't born in Bevelle, so you must have come through here once before."

"Yeah, but it was winter then, and I was more worried about finding a nice, warm place to sleep then I was about seeing how beautiful this place is." Rae informed him as he took a seemingly random turn. "And we're headed to Mt. Gagazet, right?" Seph nodded. "Then shouldn't we get some heavier close? I mean, that place has snow all year round, doesn't it?"

Seph stopped for a second and considered the words. "Black won't exactly hide us in the snow either." He admitted reluctantly. "Ok, come on." He said, turning to the left and heading down a path Rae had completely missed. Twenty minutes later they were walking into the Macalania Travel Agency.

"Rao, Seph, ed'c paah yfrema (Hey Seph, it's been awhile)." The woman behind the counter said as he walked in.

"Yeah, maybe a little too long." Seph replied with a grin. "Look, me and my friend are going to Mt. Gagazet, and we need some natural looking, heavy cloaks." He explained as Rae walked in.

"Hydinym muugehk? Drana'c hudrehk ib drana pid chuf (Natural looking? There's nothing up there but snow)." The woman replied with a frown, looking Rae over to take a guess at what size cloak she'd need. "Ryhk uh, mad sa caa fryd E ryja eh dra pylg (Hang on, let me see what I have in the back)."

"Ok." Seph said with a nod, already moving to sit near the fire.

"I didn't know that you understood Al Bhed." Rae said, sitting down next to Seph, despite the fact that he was sitting on an armchair. He looked at her oddly as she practically sat on his lap and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I understood it last time I saw you too." Seph told her.

"Cruimt E kad oui dfu y gao (Should I get you two a key)?" The Al Bhed who'd been serving them asked as she came out from the stockroom. She leaned to her left, lifted a key up, and tossed it to Seph who caught it with a raised eyebrow and then threw it back, drawing a slight frown from Rae.

"Sorry, we don't have time. We have to go to Gagazet, remember?" Seph restated for the saleswoman who had just laid two cloaks on the counter, each looking like a small blanket in its own right.

"Nekrd, E zicd druikrd dfu mujanc sekrd fyhd du ahzuo aylr udranc lusbyho eh y hela, fyns nuus. So vyimd ahdenamo. (Right, I just thought two lovers might want to enjoy each others company in a nice, warm room. My fault entirely.)" The saleswoman said with a dramatic sigh. "Rana yna ouin lmuygc. Dryd femm pa 100 Gil. (Here are your cloaks. That will be 100 Gil.)"

"What? That's crazy, a hundred Gil for two cloaks?" Seph's jaw dropped when she nodded her head. With a sigh he motioned for Rae to get up, who grudgingly complied, and walked over and paid the attendant. In a whirl of heavy cloth his new white one replaced his black cloak, though his hands never seemed to move. The he picked up Rae new cloak, stuffed his old cloak into the small backpack he had on, and dropped a hundred Gil on the table. "Rae, catch." He said, throwing the cloak to his friend, who quickly wrapped it around herself. "Thanks, I think."

The attendant nodded as they walked out the door. "That was such a rip-off!" Rae complained once they had shut the door. "I can't believe you actually paid that much Gil for these cloaks."

"I didn't." Rae looked at him and he smiled slightly. "I pick-pocketed a couple of Bevelle's Guards before we left." Rae couldn't help but laugh as Seph pulled out an overflowing money clip.

"I see why you didn't argue now." Rae admitted as they walked on, blissfully unaware of the shadow that followed them, evading even Seph's awareness. It crunched no snow, didn't breath, left no tracks, and did nothing to give away where it was or where it'd come from.

'That's right kid. Lead me right to him. Lead me right to Lusniec, so I can finally have my revenge.' It thought, a wicked smile finding its way onto the shadow's lips.

888

"I'm must admit to being more then a little curious as to why someone as powerful as you would wish to travel to Mt. Gagazet with me." Lusniec smirked at Seymour, who had been trying to find out why he was on Spira since he'd decided to tag along to Gagazet.

"I have my reasons." Lusniec told him easily. "Mostly, there's a certain boy there that I hate. So I'm going to kill him."

"I see."

"Don't worry. You can have the others. I just want him." Lusniec told Seymour, his hold on the sword he'd gotten tightening.

"Might I ask why you hate Ryan so much?" Lusniec whirled around to face, his sword flying out of its sheath, a purple trail in the air marking where exactly it'd passed through the air. Seymour was holding his hands up in a gesture of peace, truly having meant no offense by the question, and seemingly un-phased by the demonic blade that was touching his throat ever so slightly.

"How'd you know it was Ryan?"

"I am a Maester of Yevon, as was my father before me." Seymour told Lusniec, who glared impatiently. "I've always had access to what little text is available on you and your fellow gods."

"So how does that explain knowing it was Ryan?"

"When I fought Lady Yuna's group on the High Bridge he used your very own Wind Cutter against me." Seymour told him, visibly cringing at the memory. "And that is an attack that only you can teach."

"I see." Lusniec said as he sheathed the giant sword. "You're certainly the brightest Maester in years, Seymour. I'll admit to that much." Seymour nodded his appreciation of the words. "If you survive this, and your religion survives, I have a feeling that you'll be the next Grand Maester of Yevon."

"Truly?" Seymour asked, more then a little surprised. Lusniec nodded and grinned evilly.

"Yeah, and then I'll be your assassin." He added, a blissful look coming to his eyes with the words.

"Indeed, I would have much use of a good assassin." Seymour admitted.

"Then it's agreed. Once we kill this group, I'll make sure you become Grand Maester, and stick around to kill any that challenge your title." Seymour nodded his gratitude.

888

"So this is mount Gagazet." Ryan muttered to himself as he wrapped his arms around himself in a vain attempt to drive off the ceaseless wind. "Why didn't we buy warmer clothing exactly?"

"Auron said we didn't have time." Tidus said when he could keep his lips from chattering.

They weren't the only ones that were cold either. Matt was shivering visibly, and couldn't hold Lightning Edge for too long because it absorbed the cold, so it was also strapped across his back. Andy had a ball of fire floating in each hand, but he constantly had to check on them because of the danger that the driving wind could blow them out at any moment. Lulu had a ball of fire floating in her free hand, but it was doing little to warm her body. Wakka's blitz-ball looked like a giant snowball, and his throwing arm had gone numb a long time ago. Auron, who didn't seem bothered in the least bit by the wind, had given Yuna his jacket, which was far too big, and sometimes blew up when a powerful wind hit her head on. Rikku was clinging to Ryan's arm, trying to warm up despite the fact that she had his sweatshirt on. And Kimahri, he seemed completely fine, his fur apparently having been designed for such cold climates.

"Ronso tribe nearby." Kimahri told them as they walked up a trail lined by pillars. Sure enough, a few seconds after he had said it, two Ronso became visible at the end of the path. They glared at Kimahri as he passed, but said nothing.

Before they'd even stopped they heard the familiar voice of the former Maester of Yevon, Kelk Ronso. "Summoner Yuna and Guardians, leave here at once! Gagazet is Ronso Land, sacred mountain of Yevon. The mountain will not bear the footsteps of infidels! Enemy of Yevon is enemy of Ronso! Leave, traitors!" Kelk Ronso roared, many of the other Ronso joining in whole-heartedly.

"I have cast aside Yevon! I follow the temple no more!" Yuna admitted, a fire sparking in her eyes as she stepped forward.

"Then you will die by those words!" Kelk Ronso roared again, several Ronso preparing to launch themselves at Yuna. Suddenly Ryan appeared behind her, much to Rikku's annoyance since he'd accidentally sprayed her with snow in his rush to reach Yuna's side.

"So be it." Yuna said calmly. "Yevon has warped the teachings and betrayed us all!"

"Nothing but a bunch of low-down tricksters, eh?" Wakka added, also jogging forward to Yuna's side.

"I agree. They preach one thing, then go against their own teachings in the temple that's the seat of their power." Matt said as he stepped forward, shaking his head in mock-sadness. "It's disgusting."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Tidus and Rikku agreed, running up to join their friends.

"We have no regrets." Yuna stated as Lulu, Kimahri, and Auron stepped forward.

"Blasphemers!" A powerful looking Ronso accused as he stepped forward. Kimahri looked like he was ready to attack the Ronso then and there, but he managed to restrain himself, though he was ready to spring wherever he was needed at a moment's notice.

"A Summoner and her guardians…" Kelk Ronso said to himself quietly.

"Lord Kelk Ronso, if I may?" Lulu asked, stepping forward. Kelk Ronso looked at her for a moment and nodded for her to continue. "Have you not also turned your back on Bevelle?"

"But still you guard Gagazet, as a Ronso, not a Maester." Auron added. "Yuna is much the same."

"Elder Kelk! Let Biran render them asunder!" Another powerfully built Ronso practically begged as he stepped forward next to the other one that Kimahri had been ready to attack.

"No escape! Not one!" The one standing next to Biran yelled.

"No, we will not flee. We will fight, and continue on." Yuna stated in a determined voice, the knuckles on her hand's turning whit as she gripped hers staff.

"You have been branded a traitor, but still you would fight Sin?" Kelk Ronso asked. "Lost to the temple, hated by the people, yet still you continue your pilgrimage. Everything lost! What do you fight for?"

Yuna thought about the question for a second before giving her answer, "I fight for Spira. The people long for the calm. I can give it to them. It's all I can give. Defeating Sin, ending pain… this I can do."

"Even sacrificing yourself?" Kelk Ronso questioned, a surprised look coming to his face. He thought about her words for a while before turning to his fellow Ronso. "Ronso, let them pass!" He declared, the Ronso instantly moving in compliance as their elder turned back towards Yuna. "Summoner Yuna, your will is stronger then steel. Tempered steel, that even the mightiest Ronso could not hope to bend. Yuna, we bow to your will! Now go! The sacred heights of Mt. Gagazet welcomes you."

"We thank you." Yuna said, bowing awkwardly in Auron's jacket. They started up the sacred mountain, but didn't get very far before two familiar Ronso appeared.

"Halt!" Biran yelled.

"Haven't you bothered us enough?" Tidus demanded.

"Summoner may pass. Guardians may pass. Kimahri not pass!" Biran roared. "Kimahri shame Ronso brothers. Kimahri forget his birth!"

"Forget his people, forget his mountain. Little Ronso! Weakling Ronso!" Yenke taunted.

"Mountain hate the weak, hate the small. If you will climb--"

"I must prove my strength!" Kimahri finished Biran's sentence for him.

"Think you will win? You not forget who took your horn! Never forget!" Biran taunted.

"Kimahri never beat brother Biran! Never win!" Yenke added.

"This time I win. I will win!" Kimahri declared firmly, brandishing his spear with frightful skill.

"Why you…?" Tidus started to question Kimahri, but stopped when Kimahri nodded towards him. "This kind of Ronso thing?"

"Kimahri problem." Kimahri declared as he brought his spear into a ready position and waited for his two foes.

"You sure you don't want any help, Kimahri?" Ryan questioned, not like the idea of the two Ronso attacking Kimahri at the same time, and there was no doubt in his mind that they would if need be.

"Kimahri problem." Was all Kimahri would give him.

"Biran rend you asunder!" Biran taunted.

"Hornless! Hornless!" Yenke added as Biran rushed Kimahri. He batted Kimahri's first thrust away from his face with a fur covered hand, then spun away from the spear and threw a kick at Kimahri. Kimahri ducked, kicked Biran's legs out from under him, and slammed the butt of his spear into the powerful Ronso's stomach. Yenke watched, wide-eyed by Kimahri's battle prowess.

"Wow." Ryan muttered as he watched Kimahri back away from Biran, allowing him to stand back up.

"Kimahri grow stronger. But still little Kimahri!" Biran roared as he charged Kimahri again, throwing all caution to the wind. The rolled under a thrust, and barely flinched as Kimahri's knee slammed into his face in mid-roll. Growling the Ronso bit deep into Kimahri's knee, drawing a roar of pain for his efforts, something he quickly regretted. Kimahri slammed him repeatedly in the head with the butt of his spear until he released the offended knee. Rolling away he came up facing a wave of fire that quickly overtook him, singeing most of his fur.

"Wow, Kimahri's really letting'em have it…" Andy pointed out as the smaller Ronso's spear shaft slammed down on Biran's face, dropping the mighty Ronso warrior almost instantly.

"And that's the end of it folks." Ryan said in a fake-announcer voice. "In an amazing upset victory, the champion, Biran, has been taken down by the small, quiet Kimahri. What do you think Matt?" He asked, holding an imaginary microphone to Matt who smiled and pretend to take it, much to the enjoyment of Rikku, Tidus, and Wakka.

"Well, my unworthy partner, I'd say that was one of the most impressive, intense battles I've seen, and I've seen quite a few of them. It all comes down to who underestimates their opponent more, and in this case Kimahri appears to have overestimated his opponent by more then a little. How will Yenke handle the situation I wonder?"

"Let's wait and see, my holier-then-thou counterpart." Ryan said with enough sarcasm to drown a whale, pointing to Yenke who was charging Kimahri even faster then Biran had. There was a loud crack when Kimahri's spear shaft caught the enraged warrior in the side of the head. Yenke collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolling back into their sockets and a small river of drool sliding out of his mouth. "Well, my monkey-looking partner," Ryan said, drawing even more laughs from the group, "I'd say that about wraps it up. What do you think?"

Matt grabbed the fake microphone and said, "He took a shot to the temple, what more do you want, my biology failing friend."

"Ouch. That hurt." Andy muttered as Ryan rolled his eyes.

"All his fault." Ryan replied.

"Whose fault?" Rikku asked.

Ryan, Andy, and Matt all made distasteful faces. "Mr. Rille." They said at the same time.

"Didn't like him I take it?" Tidus guessed. They shook their heads so quickly that they cracked their necks. "I see…"

"Anyway, I think its time we started going. Looks like Biran's done with… well… whatever it was he was doing. Something about Mt. Gagazet accepting Kimahri." Matt informed them as Kimahri started up the sacred mountain.

"Summoner!" Biran called out to Yuna in his deep, gruff voice. "We Ronso will stop pursuers from temple."

"Truly?" Yuna asked, her surprise and hope both rather evident in her voice.

Biran nodded. "Penance for breaking Kimahri's horn long ago." He informed her.

"We crush enemies following behind." Yenke said, having gotten up during the exchange between Biran and Yuna.

"Kimahri crush enemies standing before."

"You are most fortunate Summoner." Biran told Yuna.

"I thank you." Yuna bowed as the words left her mouth, and Ryan shook his head with mock-sadness on his face.

"I'll never get her to stop doing that." He muttered sarcastically.

"Nope, that's how Yunie is." Rikku agreed with him.

"Ronso will shine your statue brightest." Biran told Yuna, who blushed slightly at the comment.

"Thank you, but I fear no one will make a statue for a traitor such as I am." Yuna said to him sadly.

"Then Ronso will make!" Biran told her.

"With grand horn on head!" Yenke added. Yuna smiled at the compliment.

"That would be wonderful." She said happily, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes that even the happiest smile couldn't hide.

'Poor Yuna.' Ryan thought as they started up the path, only to find themselves surrounded by Ronso, standing on the small cliff ledges. "What now?"

"Summoner Yuna!" Biran yelled, stepping forward so he was visible.

"What is it this time?" Tidus demanded. In reply the Ronso started to sing the hymn of the Fayth, and in their deep, rough voices it sounded surprisingly good. When they were done singing the Ronso disappeared, like silhouettes against the snow.

As they moved on Rikku slowed down, dragging Ryan with her. Tidus noticed them lagging and stopped to see what was wrong. "Zanarkand is on the other side, you know?" She told them in a small voice.

"Yeah." Ryan said quietly, understanding already where this was headed.

"Yunie's gonna get the final Aeon, you know?"

"We know." Tidus said quietly.

"I still haven't thought of anything." Rikku whispered, her voice barely loud enough for Tidus and Ryan to hear her.

"Me neither." Tidus admitted.

"What are we gonna do?" Rikku questioned.

"We'll do something!" Tidus replied instantly. "We just don't know enough yet. Until we do, we really can't help Yuna. Let's go to Zanarkand. We'll find something there. It'll all come together, I know it!"

"Jeez, confident are we?" Ryan asked sarcastically.

"Hey… just now, he sounded kind of like a leader, you know?" Rikku pointed out, and Ryan nodded his head.

"Star player of the Zanarkand Abes! Didn't anyone tell you?" Ryan and Rikku laughed a little, and gave him joking bows. When they came back up Rikku gasped. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Seymour!" She cried out in a voice mixed with horror and surprise. Ryan and Tidus drew their swords and prepared to face the unsent Maester again.

"Ah, the song of Jecht." Seymour greeted Tidus. "And the light of hope as well. This is indeed my lucky day."

"Rikku, run and tell Auron." Tidus ordered.

"I'm not leaving you guys to fight him alone!" Rikku told them, rolling her sleeve up to reveal her weapon as another figure appeared.

Ryan's heart dropped when he saw the long silver hair, and snow-white kimono. "Rikku, go, now! We'll be ok till you get back." He whispered as Lusniec's eyes fell on him. He heard Rikku running off and saw Lusniec's smile grow as he produced a sword that was only two inches shorter then he was.

"It's been awhile, Ryan." He said politely.

"You know that guy?" Tidus questioned.

"Yeah. That's Lusniec." Ryan whispered. Tidus's eyes bulged and he risked a glance over at Ryan who was sweating profusely.

"Well Ryan, I've got some time to kill. What do you say we get this over with, hmm?" Lusniec questioned as he drew his long, black bladed sword. Everywhere it went it left a dark line in the air for a few seconds, and it gave off an overwhelmingly evil feeling.

"So whoever that was really was serious." Ryan muttered, hoping to stall until Rikku got back with help.

Lusniec raised an eyebrow. "What are you mumbling about over there? Who warned you that I was coming to kill you?"

Ryan shrugged. "Couldn't tell you. He stayed in the shadows the whole time. At least I think it was a he. Regardless, he said that he'd been your boyfriend… and that you'd killed him."

Lusniec's eyes widened till it looked like they'd fall out of his head. "It can't be…"

"So Lusniec," Ryan started, a knowing grin slipping into place on his face, "anything you'd like to share? Like who this boyfriend of yours is?"

"Not particularly. I have no interest in educating the dead." Lusniec said with a sneer.

'Great.' Ryan thought as Lusniec started walking towards him, his right hand leaning his massive sword on his shoulder, his left hand right above the belt on his kimono. He seemed to look a lot like Auron, minus the heavy sword, giant coat, sunglasses, and sake bottle.

"I've been watching you for awhile Ryan." Lusniec said in a tone that sent shivers down the back of everyone else present. "And I hate you. Hate you for everything you could have, and everything that you do have. Everything you have that I was denied."

"Sorry, not interested in your sob story Lusniec." Ryan replied calmly.

Lusniec shook his head, now less then two feet away from Ryan. "You know what they say about murderer and victim?"

"That it's the most intimate bond you can have, why?" Lusniec flashed him a mischievous grin. Before Ryan or Tidus could down anything he leaned in and pressed his lips against Ryan's, who jumped back more then ten feet out of pure horror.

"What the fuck are you doing, you fucking queer!" He screamed, rubbing snow on his lips. "God damn it, you ever try that again and I'll cut you the hell in two!"

Lusniec frowned and let out a defeated sigh. "You don't leave me with any other choice then, Ryan." He said. "You didn't accept my gift, the one shot you had at living, so now you must die. Sorry."

"Now is your time to die. Prepare yourself, son of Jecht." Seymour said as Ryan and Tidus brought their swords up in defensive stances.

"Sorry, we aren't going anywhere." Ryan stated defiantly.

"Not if I can help it." Tidus added.

"Save some for Kimahri!" Kimahri roared as he appeared on the scene, barely a few steps ahead of the rest of their group.

Seymour smiled at Yuna and said, "Lady Yuna, it is a pleasure."

Lulu stepped up between Seymour and the Summoner. "Yuna!" she said. Instantly Yuna stepped forward, rod held ready to send the dead Maester.

"A sending, so soon?" Seymour asked calmly, and with mock innocence. "Allow me to say something to the last Ronso before I leave." Everyone's eyes widened at the comment as Seymour continued, "Yours was… truly a gallant race. They threw themselves at us to bar our path."

"I'll say." Lusniec muttered. "One, after another, after another, after another. I was so boring. You'd think so many enemies would mean some kind of cha…" Lusniec's voice trailed off as his gaze met Auron's. "Well if it isn't Auron. It's been awhile." Auron starred at Lusniec. "Ahhhh, still not very talkative I see. Oh well, you'll be dead soon enough."

"Auron, you know Lusniec?" Ryan questioned without looking away from the powerful angel.

"We met, once. A long time ago." Auron admitted.

"What? Why didn't you tell me?" Ryan demanded, spinning on Auron so quickly that he shot up a wave of snow. That was all the opening Lusniec needed. His sword flashed down on a diagonal slant, cutting the back of Ryan's shirt open and leaving a thin red line along his back, which quickly turned purple. Ryan screamed out in pain as the tainted sword bit into his flesh.

Lusniec smirked as Ryan dropped to the ground, his body shaking visibly. "Well that was easier then normal."

"Lusniec!" Tidus yelled as he charged Lusniec, his sword flashing straight down toward Lusniec's back. There was a chuckle from the angel as he dodged to the side, pinned Tidus's sword to the ground with his foot and slammed the pummel of his own sword into Tidus's chest.

"Pitiful. This is the group that you couldn't beat, Seymour?" Lusniec asked in disbelief. The dead Maester nodded, slightly embarrassed. Lusniec shook his head, "What's this world coming to?"

"Shut up." Andy muttered, stepping forward to face Lusniec.

"Ah, Vena's little wanna-be, eh?" Lusniec questioned as soon as he saw Andy's fist-blades. "If you want to live, kill Seymour again. I'm only here for Ryan."

"Tough luck pal." Andy replied with a grin. "You want him, you're going through me to get there." Lusniec's eyes narrowed as he looked Andy over.

"You're an idiot." Lusniec declared. "You've got no idea what you're getting yourself into."

"Only one way for me to find out, isn't there?" Andy brought his fist up to a ready position. "Don't keep me waiting too long now."

Lusniec shook his head out of annoyance. "Not my fault, Vena. You chose an idiot this time." He said to the sky as the winds started to pick up. A trickle of fear ran down Andy's spine as Lusniec started to walk towards him. "Ready to die, kid?"

"After you." Andy punched out with his left fist, but Lusniec dodged easily. He countered the attack with a thrust, which Andy managed to dodge the worst of, but still took a deep cut in the shoulder anyway. Andy spun around, hoping to impale Lusniec on the blade of his weapon, but Lusniec simply ducked under the attack, slamming the butt of his sword into Andy's chin as he came back up.

"That it?" Lusniec taunted as Andy rubbed his chin. "I was hoping for… well, something."

"Shut up!" Andy yelled, snapping his fingers until half a dozen balls of fire surrounded him.

"Heh, still relying on Suzaku to do all your work for you? Pitiful." Lusniec cut his thumb on his sword and rubbed the blood completely along the blade. "I'll show you something amazing then, not that you deserve to see it."

"Suzaku!" Even as Andy yelled it the fireballs were forming into the giant phoenix god of fire. As it charged Lusniec the angel swung his sword straight down once, long before the god ever reached him. There was a flash of dark light, followed by a black blade that tore through Suzaku and nailed Andy, sending him to the ground in agony.

"What the hell was that?" Matt asked, wide-eyed.

"That? That was the true Wind Cutter." Lusniec grinned. "And believe me, it's a hell of a lot more powerful then your friend's is."

"Really?" Ryan asked, getting to his feet shakily.

"Yeah, it is." Lusniec rubbed a streak of blood along his glowing sword. "Want Demon Edge and me to show you?"

'If his really is stronger then mine, whoever's behind me is gonna get hit too.' Ryan glanced back and saw everyone but Andy and Tidus standing there. 'That's not gonna work.'

"Hmmmm… decided not to put your pals in the line of fire, eh Ryan?" Lusniec asked as Ryan moved so that he was in front of the edge of the cliff rather then his friends. "You're too kind. It makes me sick now that I think about it."

"Crid ib (shut up)." Wind Cutter started to glow. "I'm here to kick your ass, not listen to you babble on."

"In a rush to die?" Lusniec raised Demon Edge. "Then let me speed you along your way!"

"Wind Cutter!" The two yelled at the same time, Wind Cutter and Demon Edge launching blades of pure energy at each other.

The powers clashed in mid-air, battling like two giants. '_Yes, you've begun to understand that, haven't you? You lie to yourself by telling yourself that you don't like killing, but it's just a lie. You're starting to enjoy it, the spray of blood washing over you._' The words rang out in Ryan's head, distracting him for a split second. By the time that it had gone through his head once he knew that he was in trouble. Already he could see small streams of purple through his own silver Wind Cutter. 'Oh shit.' Was all he had time to think before Lusniec's attack cut through his own. The attack slammed into him like it was a boulder, wrapped itself around him and sent him flying through the air.

"Ryan!" Rikku and Tidus cried out in unison. Ryan looked at them oddly, wondering why they looked so worried. As he continued to fly through the air he saw the edge of the cliff, more then a dozen feet away from him.

'Oh shit! I'm gonna die!' Ryan struggled vainly against the panic that was rising within him. Memories of everything he'd seen and done from the time that bastard at the Cumberland Farms had killed them until now, flashed through his mind like a whirlwind. 'It was all for nothing?' That lone, horrifying thought was what he came up with every time he tried to think of something he could do.

"So you're givin' up already kid?" The gravely voice caused Ryan to whip his head around. A man with long, dusty looking hair, a red bandana, no shirt, and a giant black sword with a few flame designs on it was looking at Ryan like he'd just seen a dog throw up. His bare chest was covered in scars, and so were his legs. He had a firm jaw, a beard, and an annoyed look in his eyes.

"Who the hell are you?"

"That's not important." The man reached out a punched Ryan in the jaw. Ryan looked at him like he was insane. "Listen kid, are you gonna let the fagot up there kill your friends?" Ryan opened his mouth to reply but a glare from the man silenced him. "You've got something better then all the power he's got kid. You just gotta wake up and see it for yourself." Ryan looked away as Lusniec's words from the Via Purifico came back to him. "Look, you aren't a killer kid. Everyone else can see it, and I can see it, and Lusniec can see it. Why the hell can't you wake up and see it for yourself?" Another glare silenced Ryan before he could reply. "You've got all the power you need to kick his ass right here." The man pointed to his own heart. "And if you don't believe me, get your ass up there and try fighting with that instead of your head."

"You think I don't wanna try again? Who the hell are you to tell me what I can and can't do?" Ryan demanded, ignoring the glare the man was giving him. "I died once already, I don't wanna die again. I finally found more friends that like me for who I am, and then I get knocked off this goddamn mountain! I get kissed by some fucked-up angel that wants to kill me because of my friends, and I'm falling to my death."

The man smiled. "So what are you gonna do about it? Sit here and die?"

"Fuck you!" Ryan reached forward and tried to grab the man, only to have his hand pass through the man. "I'll help them! Just watch, I'll get back there and help them!" This time Ryan's hand didn't pass through them man, much to his surprise. "I'll keep on living! I won't die here!"

The man's smile widened. "That's it!" He practically shouted, silencing Ryan instantly with his joy. "That's the power that Lusniec doesn't have!" Ryan raised an eyebrow in confusion. "He's alone kid, he fights only to kill, loves only blood, the normal psychopathic killer profile. But you, you're different kid. You've got a heart bigger then most people, and Lusniec thinks that's your weakness. But that's your strength kid. He's faster, smarter, stronger, and more experienced then you, but you got somethin' to protect." Something in the back Ryan's mind clicked as the man continued, "Now I'm not the kind of guy that would normally give this kind of speech, but I've got a… personal stake in this one. So get back up there and kick Lusniec's ass, eh?"

"And how am I supposed to get back up there?" Ryan demanded.

"That? Oh, that's an easy one ya dumb ass." The man said. "Awaken." Ryan looked at him oddly. "I said awaken. Wake up and use the real source of your power, the power you get from your desire to protect you friends." The man rolled his eyes, apparently disgusted that he was giving a speech of this kind.

As the man rolled his eyes a warmth shot through Ryan's legs and up into his back and spread to his shoulder blades. The muscles in his back twitched slightly, and jolts of pain shot through Ryan's entire body. He screamed, nearly dropping Wind Cutter as a wave of pain rolled through his back.

"That's it kid. It hurts, but you gotta deal with it. It's the only way you'll help your friends!" The man said, watching Ryan with an impartial face.

Ryan could barely hear him over his own screams. The pain was starting to disappear, slowly at first but it was quickly leaving. He realized that his eyes were shut and wet with tears of pain. When he opened them he saw the man smiling and slowly fading away, a few feathers floating in the air around him.

"That's it kid. Now you've got your wings, go kick Lusniec's ass." The man said just before disappearing completely.

'Wings?' Ryan wondered. Slowly the realization that he had something sprouting out of his back dawned on him. He thought about them curling in, and much to his surprise two massive, snow-white wings folded around him. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw them. He heard the man laughing at him, but the voice was distant and faded. Ryan smiled and tested the wings out, slowly beating them. They felt as natural as his hands and legs, and Ryan's heart sword. He started beating them in unison. The slow, powerful wing beats slowed him down, and stopped him. Picking up the speed of his wings he started rising through the air towards Gagazet, the whirling winds barely affecting his flight. 'Here I come Lusniec!'

888

"He's gone…" Tidus muttered, peering over the edge of the cliff for any sign of Ryan. "You killed him, you bastard!" He whirled around and found Lusniec watching the edge of the cliff intently. With a scream of rage Tidus charged the angel. He slashed out with his sword horizontally, which Lusniec hopped back from. Tidus tried to use his Slice-and-Dice attack, but Lusniec blocked all the attacks like they were nothing.

"You're starting to annoy me kid." Lusniec growled when Tidus jumped back. "Give it up, you'll never hit me. Besides, I only came to take care of Ryan, Seymour's here for the rest of you."

"I don't care who Seymour's here for, you're going to die." Matt said, slamming Lightning Edge into the ground. A ring of lightning appeared around him, jumping into his right hand before he even started to do the three seals for the attack. "Go to hell!"

Lusniec flipped his sword around as Matt charged, spun around Matt's thrust and slammed the sword into the back of the god's neck. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Kan Sen." He said. Everyone gasped, recognizing the attack as one from the same style that Ryan used. "What's wrong? Did you think that someone who has lived for thousands of years wouldn't be able to copy Ryan's style?"

"You've copied Ryan's entire style?" Matt asked, his heart dropping.

"Even it's most powerful attack. The Kuzu Ryu Sen." Lusniec said. "The most powerful attack ever created."

Matt could barely contain his smile. 'At least he doesn't know about the true succession technique.' He thought, more then a little comforted by the thought.

"Well Seymour, you're up." Lusniec said, sheathing his sword and sitting down on a nearby rock.

Everyone looked over toward the chuckling Maester, who was floating in mid air. "You've got to be shitting me…" Matt muttered as Seymour started to change again. This time Seymour was white, with two massive forearms sticking out of the cage like thing he was sitting in, each bigger then he was, plus his own. He also sported a massive lance at least three times the size of Lusniec, along with two massive swords.

"What the hell are you?" Andy stood up. "I'd call you a fiend… but that'd be too much of an insult to them. Same thing goes for a demon, and an unsent… oh well. You'll just have to die."

"You think so? Too bad that your hope ends here, boy. And your meaningless existence with it." He turned his head to look at Yuna. "Tell me Lady Yuna, do you not want to end Spira's sorrow? Let death carry you off into a peaceful slumber."

"You can't run from you fate!" Yuna raised her staff, Valefor already dive bombing Seymour. It barely missed, and only managed to get off a single Energy Blast before Seymour banished it with a wave of his hand.

"You have angered Kimahri! The spirits of the Ronso will guide Kimahri's spear!" Kimahri launched himself at Seymour, driving his spear into one of Seymour's massive forearms. The master replied by running the Ronso guardian through with his own spear, an inky blackness leaking out of it and into Kimahri before anyone could stop it.

"And now I say good-bye to the final Ronso!" Seymour said as he raised his hand to cast a spell.

"Reflect!" Yuna cried, pointing her staff at Kimahri. Seymour's spell bounced back and slammed into him and he smiled as the hole in his arm healed.

"My thanks Lady Yuna. That wound was rather painful." He said with a polite bow of the head.

'He tried to hit Kimahri with a healing spell? Then that spear must inflict zombie!' Yuna reached into Wakka's pocket, much to his surprise, and pulled out a holy water. "Kimahri! Here!" She threw the bottle to Kimahri, who caught it and poured it onto his wound without hesitation. He growled in pain for a few seconds as it ran down the open wound.

Seymour watched, proud of Yuna's quick thinking. 'More and more perfect to be my wife every time I see her.' He thought to himself as she healed Kimahri's puncture wound.

"Everyone, watch out for his spear! It has the zombie property on it!" Yuna warned the group. Andy and Matt raised an eyebrow.

"If you get hit and we try to heal you, it will hurt you instead." Lulu explained.

"Wonderful." Matt said sarcastically.

"So, who shall I save first?" Seymour questioned. Auron and Tidus stepped forward. "Ah yes. The son of Jecht, and Jecht's best friend."

"Shut up!" Tidus yelled, charging in blindly. Seymour grinned and both his massive forearms reached back and whipped out swords as big as Seymour's spear.

"Tidus, look out!" Wakka yelled a second too late. Seymour's blades came at the young blitz star in a cross pattern, cutting deep into his flesh. Tidus cried out in pain and Matt and Auron charged in, heavy weapons slamming down on Seymour's sword-wielding arms. Seymour cried out in pain, despite the fact that the weapons didn't go in all that deeply.

Andy ran in, pulling Tidus's limp body away from the fight as he ran towards Yuna. "No… Tidus, no!" Yuna started casting healing spells on his before Andy had stopped pulling him.

Lulu spun on Seymour, death in her eyes. "Firaga Fury!" She yelled, hitting the Maester with twelve Firaga spells in rapid succession. When the smoke cleared Seymour was glaring at her, hatred in his eyes, his body burnt all over.. Her body jerked in pain, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened in a scream that would never come out. "Much better." Seymour said with a joyous smile as he pulled his spear out of the dead mage's shoulder.

"That hurt." He thrust his spear at the mage. Lulu stepped to the side and dodged most of it, but Seymour's spear still ran through her shoulder, causing her to drop her doll and scream out in pain. "Now die!" He yelled as his spell slammed into Lulu. Her body jerked in pain, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened in a scream that would never come out. "Much better." Seymour said with a joyous smile as he pulled his spear out of the dead mage's shoulder.

"Lulu!" Matt whispered in frantic disbelief. When the mage didn't reply his eyes widened in horror. He whirled around to face Seymour, but someone was holding him back by the shoulder before he could do anything. Glancing back he saw Auron standing there, emotionless as ever, sword on his shoulder, his one good eye sizing up Seymour's new powers.

"Yuna, help Lulu." He stepped passed Matt and motioned for him to follow. "Matt, Andy, Tidus, you're with me. Kimahri, Wakka, Rikku, protect Lulu and Yuna."

"Ah, the legendary Sir Auron. It's an honor to be the one to kill you." Seymour said as the four stepped forward. "So who will you send to his death this time, Sir Auron?"

"You're really annoying me." The clouds started to darken as a storm started to roll in.

"Am I now?" Seymour asked with an exaggerated facial expression. "I'm ever so sorry, please do allow me to rectify that." He raised one massive arm so that his giant, curved sword was held straight up. "Don't worry, it won't hurt at all!"

"Sure it will, just not for me!" Matt yelled, throwing a bolt of lightning up into the air over Seymour's sword.

"Man, you really must need glasses, that was way off." Tidus informed Matt as the bolt raced upward.

"No, it went exactly where it was supposed to go." Matt told him. Tidus turned to ask what he meant, but the crash of thunder and Seymour's screams drowned out his words. "See? Exactly what I wanted to happen."

"You planned that?" Rikku whinned as she moved her hands away from her ears. "Please, don't try to do that if you don't have to! I don't like lightning."

888

"Seph, what the hell was that?" Rae whispered in awe as she watched Matt's attack unfold. Seymour's screams and the thunder crash nearly deafened her as she watched the battle more then thirty feet below. "Well?"

"What the hell did it look like?" Seph replied quietly. "He hit Seymour with a bolt of lightning, nothing special."

"Are you kidding me? He just used an actual lightning bolt to hit someone Seph! An actual, natural lightning bolt!"

"Shut up, the fight's starting back up again." Rae looked down and watched in disbelief as Seymour stood to his feet. 'This isn't right. Seymour shouldn't have been able to get back up from that.'

"Seph, what's with that shadow?" Rae asked. Seph looked at her oddly and she pointed towards Seymour. "See, that shadow on his back. But the light is coming from that direction, so shouldn't his shadow be the other way?"

"Yeah, you're right." Seph agreed. Seymour's shadow had moved in the bright flash of the lightning bolt, and hadn't gone back to where it had been before. 'So someone's protecting him using his own shadow. That explains why he survived that attack. Now the question is who's the one using the shadow.'

888

"Damn you! All of you shall die!" Seymour yelled as he floated farther away from the edge of the cliff, knocking blitzballs aside and attempting to dodge the lightning bolts Matt was constantly calling down from the sky. Crying in rage he rushed the group, both swords flashing and spear jabbing through the air randomly. Just before he got within striking distance a wall of solid fire roared into life in front of him. Without enough time to stop himself Seymour's arms, all four of them, instinctively shot up to cover his face. The second he was through the wall of fire he felt white hot pain erupt throughout his larger right arm as Auron, Matt, and Tidus cut into it, tearing it nearly to pieces before Seymour could retreat. He looked at the useless arm and smiling. "Very clever my boy, very clever." He admitted as a wave of healing magic washed through the arm, restoring it to its original usefulness. "But you'll pay for that. I'll make sure of it."

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it." Andy taunted the Maester. "Come on, I dare you to charge again."

Seymour shook his head and charged in, a magical barrier in place around his body. Only Andy didn't raise a wall of fire this time. Instead he created two copies of Seymour's swords, only they were made of pure fire instead of steel. Seymour's face paled as he slowed to a halt just outside of striking distance. "You rotten bastard."

"Sorry, that's your job!" Andy yelled as the blades, much to Seymour's horror, extended another two feet. He swung them down and cut one of Seymour's large arms off cleanly, the intense heat from the blades categorizing the wound instantly.

Seymour screamed in anger and pain, putting all of the pain rushing through his body into one might sword stroke. Andy managed to roll out of the way, but lost his swords in the process. When he glanced back to where he'd been standing his face paled. There was a six-foot deep crevice stretching all the way to the wall of rock less then five feet away from Lusniec, who looked mildly impressed. "God or not, you will die!" Seymour yelled as he brought his sword up for another powerful blow.

Lusniec stood up so suddenly that everyone forgot about the death match for a second. "Can you hear them, Seymour?" He asked, an amused grin on his face. Seymour looked at him oddly, "The wings of death," Lusniec explained, "are coming for you."

"What are you talking about, Lord Lusniec?" Seymour questioned. "You are the wings of death."

Lusniec shook his head and chuckled to himself. "You still don't get it, do you?"

"What are you talking about you gay ass fagot?" Matt demanded.

"Why would I lower myself to working with the likes of Seymour?" Lusniec asked him. Matt shrugged. "It's simple really. Working with Seymour gave me the chance to fight Ryan. But Ryan refused to wake the hell up earlier, he was too weak to be any fun."

"And you killed him." Rikku yelled accusingly.

"Didn't I though?" Lusniec asked. "He should feel honored to have died by my hands rather then Seymour's."

"Shut up!" Matt yelled.

"You're the one yelling." Lusniec pointed out as he reached down and picked up his sword. "Listen now, and don't say anything." Everyone fell silent, and sure enough they could make out the faint beating of wings. "Yes, now you hear it. The wings of death."

"Traitor!" Seymour yelled, slashing down at Lusniec who smiled and simply stepped to the side, letting the Maester's sword burry itself in the ground. He pulled it out and raised it over his head for another strike, but lurched forward, coughing up blood instead.

"What the hell?" Andy wondered, starring at Seymour oddly as he started to fall forward. Matt, Auron, and Rikku erupted into motion. Auron ran over to Seymour's arm that had fallen to the ground, and with a single swing of his giant sword cut in off. Seymour tried to scream but found himself coughing up blood instead, the eerie sound echoing on the mountain.

"Go to hell!" Matt yelled as he ran up behind Tidus, jumped onto the blitzer's back and pushed off, shoving Tidus to the ground and launching himself at Seymour. With a face of stone he brought Lightning Edge down, splitting Seymour's head in two.

Rikku wasn't so lucky. When Seymour had drawn everyone's attention she'd charged Lusniec, determined to get revenge for Ryan. She'd thought that he hadn't noticed her, but at the last second he'd spun around, kicking her into the rock wall and breaking several ribs. Now she was starring up at a pissed swordsman with a murderous look in his eyes. She whimpered and closed her eyes, not wanting to see her own death coming. After a few seconds she felt something warm dripping onto her forehead, but knew for a fact that she wasn't hurt, other then her broken ribs.

"No way…" Tidus's voice sounded amazed.

"What the fuck?" Andy sounded annoyed.

"What the hell kept you?" Matt sounded even more annoyed then Andy.

"You have wings?" Yuna and Wakka asked in unison, sounding more amazed then Tidus.

"Yeah, I was wondering how long we were going to have to look at that eyesore of a man." Lusniec added in a rather excited voice. "So, the defeated dog barks for more. Fine by me." Rikku's curiosity got the better of her and she opened one eye and found herself starring at a fist, which appeared to be the only thing keeping Lusniec's blade from cutting her in two. She glanced up at the owner and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Ryan standing there, smiling like nothing was wrong.

"Ryan?" She asked in disbelief, wondering whether she'd actually been cut in two and was now in heaven.

"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting." Ryan said jokingly as Lusniec pulled his sword away. Ryan turned and leaned down next to Rikku, placing a hand on her ribcage. Instantly she felt the broken ribs snapping back into place and winced, but was too happy to complain. As soon as the magic ended she leaned forward and wrapped her arms his neck and pulled him close enough to lean on.

"You jerk." She whispered. "Why'd you have to go and get yourself knocked off the mountain? I.… we all thought you were…" Ryan felt her tears through his shirt and wrapped his arms around Rikku's shoulders.

"Yeah, sorry about that too." He said quietly. "I'm back, but now I have to take care of this gay angel wanna-be over here." Rikku nodded but didn't let go. "Hey, don't' worry. I'll be ok. If anyone needs your help right now, I'd say it's Lu." Ryan pointed out. Rikku let go of him reluctantly.

"Just don't die, ok?" She asked. Ryan smiled.

"Hey, it's me. I don't die; I just come really close, and then bounce back at the last minute. Ask Matt, I do it to him in card games all the time."

"Isn't that the damn truth." Matt agreed instantly.

"See? I'll be fine. I've still got one more trick to show everyone, one I haven't pulled yet."

"Really? What's that?" Matt asked, smiles forming on his and Andy's faces.

"The dragon's flight of the Heavens of course." Ryan said as if it should have been obvious to them.

"Listen, I know that everyone's glad your back, and you don't wanna die, but you're going to and we both know it." Lusniec lifted his sword into a ready position. "At least try to amuse me this time. Come at me to kill me."

"Oh, I plan to." Ryan said, his face going from happy to serious so quickly it sent chills down Rikku's spine. "And believe me, you're going to have your hands full."

"Then by all means, do show me." Lusniec taunted.

"You're the one who came to kill me."

"Fine, if you're afraid to lead, then I will." Lusniec said. "Now I'll show you your worst nightmare."

"My worst nightmare would be having to deal with you for any period of time." Ryan countered, a small smile on his face as Lusniec started his charge. His blade disappeared for a second, and reappeared as nine blades. Ryan's eyes widened in surprise and horror as he found himself on the receiving end of the Kuzu Ryu Sen. He jumped backwards, clearing the edge of the cliff and falling safely below the attack.

"Ryan!" Rikku cried out, starting to run towards the edge. Auron's firm grip stopped her and she spun around so quickly she slipped and only Auron's grip on her shoulder kept her from falling. "Let me go, he needs help!"

"This is his fight." Auron told her. "If you get involved you'll only give Lusniec another way to attack him. Be patient. He's finally ready for this."

"What are you talking about?" Rikku demanded. Auron spun her around and she saw Lusniec sprout jet-black wings and circle the area that Ryan had just fallen down. A few seconds later Ryan shot up like a bat out of hell, sporting his own pair of six foot long snow-white wings. "Wow…"

"Finally!" Lusniec cried as he dodged a slash and landed back on the ground, visibly shaking with excitement. "Finally, you're finally ready! Finally you've stopped lying to yourself!" Lusniec burst into an insane laugh.

"Are you finished yet?" Ryan's ice-cold voice caused Lusniec to stop laughing instantly. "Because we've got places to go, and you're in the way."

"I see. Only I'm not moving, so it's your turn." Lusniec brought his giant sword up over his head, a black aura surrounding it. "Well, care to try agai--" Lusniec's question was caught off when he had to swing his sword down to stop Ryan's eye level slash that the angel had barely seen. The impact was so powerful that sparks erupted from the clash and Lusniec stumbled back.

"Like I said, you're going to have your hands full this time around." Ryan was smiling broadly now. "Come on, don't tell me you thought I didn't have a few more tricks up my sleeve."

"Yeah, you caught me off guard there. I'll give you credit for that, not a lot of people can do that anymore." Lusniec admitted grudgingly, anger etched across his features as he cut his finger on his sword's blade and ran the blood along the entire thing. "This time I won't hold back."

"It's about time."

"Go to hell!" Lusniec yelled as he slashed down with Demon Edge, the same purple energy from before flying towards him. The world seemed to slow down for Ryan as he jumped to the side. "What's the matter, afraid to face me head on?"

"No, just not stupid enough." Ryan replied calmly. Lusniec was shaking in anger as he charged forward, Demon Edge flashing out seemingly at random.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Sou Sen!" He yelled, as he got closer. Ryan's eyes widened with surprise, but otherwise he showed no signs of being worried. He dodged and blocked, a blur of constant motion as he avoided Lusniec's attacks by a hair. "Die damn you!"

Ryan disappeared from sight completely. "You're pathetic Lusniec. Loosing to a kid with just a few months of experience." He whispered into Lusniec's ear. The angel whirled around, but Ryan was already gone. "So slow too. How did someone like you ever become a legendary fighter?"

"Shut up! Damn you, where are you hiding!"

888

"Auron, what's he doing?" Tidus asked as he watched Ryan and Lusniec battle.

"Blind rage makes even the strongest fighter careless and easy to read." Auron told him. "Even Lusniec isn't immune to that. Ryan is playing mind games with him because Lusniec is better then him in every other aspect of swordsmanship."

"Maybe." Matt said uncertainly.

"You disagree?" Auron asked, mildly surprised that Matt held a different view on the subject.

"Not completely. You say that Lusniec's better then Ryan in every other aspect of swordsmanship, right?" Auron nodded. "But that may not be entirely true."

"Explain."

"Lusniec copied the Kuzu Ryu Sen, right?" Again Auron nodded, wondering where Matt was going with his thinking. "An attack that cannot be blocked or dodged… but it can still be stopped."

"What are you talking about?" Tidus demanded. "Ryan even said that it was the most powerful attack his style had!"

"If that's what Lusniec is thinking, then Ryan may very well have already won." Andy told Tidus.

"Yeah. The Kuzu Ryu Sen, there is one attack Ryan has that can stop it. The question is whether or not he can actually pull it off." Matt sighed.

"What could stop an attack that attacks all nine targets in swordsmanship?" Auron wondered aloud, confused by Matt's comments.

888

"Lusniec, you're losing your edge." Ryan taunted as he batted aside another slash from the angel. "Can't handle a single teenager anymore? Man, being so old must really suck. I thought you were like, some unstoppable swordsman."

Lusniec jumped back and wiped the sweat off his brow. "I get it now." He muttered. "You know you can't win in a straight out fight, so you play mind games, get me angry and reckless, and then when you feel safe enough you attack."

"Well you got the second half right at least." Ryan agreed. "Let's see just how close you are on the first one."

"It's about time." Lusniec said. Ryan charged in and the two began a deadly dance of flashing steel, blood, and death. They lost track of time, but neither was used to moving so fast for such extended periods of time. When the fight was starting to wind down the two were coughing up blood after every attack, the snow, between Seymour's corpse and the blood the two had spilled, looked like someone had been decorating for Valentines Day or something similar.

"They're going to kill themselves!" Rikku said, wanting to run over and help but knowing she'd just get in the way. She whirled on Auron, "You've got to help him!"

"No." Auron declared firmly. Rikku looked like he'd just shoved a dagger into her back. She turned to Matt, who was already shaking his head.

"Why won't you! He's your friend!" She turned to Tidus. "Please, help him Tidus!"

"Rikku, I'd just get in his way too." Tidus said sadly. "This is his fight, just relax."

"How am I supposed to relax when Ryan's gonna die!" Rikku demanded.

"Ryan strong. Ryan not die." Kimahri told her.

"But how can you be sure? Why don't you help him, just to make sure!"

"Ryan deal with Ryan's problem." Kimahri told her. "Ryan need friends to trust him."

Ryan sheathed his sword, the sound drawing everyone's attention back to the fight. "What's the matter, finally wise up?"

"No. I just forgot that we can't be here forever, we've got to go to Zanarkand, which means that I don't have time for this." Ryan told him, his voice barely audible over the raging winds that seemed to show up whenever Lusniec was fighting. "So what do you say we end this now? One big move, winner take all."

"You Kakashi wannabe!" Matt yelled jokingly.

"Fru lynac? Kakashi gelgc ycc (Who cares? Kakashi kicks ass)." Ryan replied. "Anyway, I've got stuff to do, I'm sure you've got guys to do," This drew a few snickers from Ryan's friends and a very annoyed look from Lusniec, "so why don't we just end this with a dramatic flare, hmmm?"

"You're really serious about this?" Ryan nodded and Lusniec burst into laughter. So you won't run away from my Kuzu Ryu Sen then?" Ryan shook his head. "Well, you've got guts. Not a lot of intelligence, but guts."

"We'll see about that, Lusniec." Ryan told him. "I'm going to block your Kuzu Ryu Sen, and then cut you in two."

"Yeah right. You said yourself that the Kuzu Ryu Sen was the most powerful attack of your sword style. You're bluffing."

"Am I?" Ryan's voice held no hint of fear in it and Lusniec felt the sweat starting to run down his neck. "What's the matter? Starting to wonder why I'm not worried about your Kuzu Ryu Sen even though it's more powerful then mine?"

"The thought had crossed my mind."

"Then why don't you come and find out. And then you'll see my newest technique." Lusniec's eyes betrayed his amusement at the declaration.

"You made up your own technique? That's hilarious!" Lusniec burst out in laughter.

"I told you, I don't have all the time in the world." Ryan's legs were starting to give out, and he was feeling slightly light headed from the loss of blood. "Are you coming or not? Either way, only one of us is walking away from this alive."

"And it won't be you!" Lusniec replied confidently as he charged Ryan, nine blades appearing long before he was more then five feet closer. "Now die!"

Ryan closed his eyes and thought of everything he'd found in Spira, mostly of the new friends he'd made. He thought of the fact that he still had to help Yuna on her pilgrimage, and that he didn't really want to go home anymore. He opened his eyes and Lusniec's blade was only a foot away. "Sorry, not dieing today!" He yelled, dropping into a Battou Jutsu stance.

888

"What the hell is he doing!" Rikku was practically chocking Matt to death to get some answers.

"Air!" Matt gasped and she let him out of the headlock she had him in. "It's the attack he's using." He told her.

"But he's not even moving!" Rikku was yelling in Matt's ear now.

"I know!" Matt yelled back. "His attack is a drawing technique! He has to wait until Lusniec is close enough to hit!"

"But Lusniec has a much longer sword." Tidus pointed out.

"Never thought of that…" Matt admitted as worry flashed across his face. 'Ryan, how are you gonna use your damn attack if Lusniec has such a longer sword? You won't be able to get close enough to attack!'

"He'll be fine." Auron declared. "He may be a beginner compared to Lusniec, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't put himself in a situation that he couldn't defend himself in, not willingly anyway."

888

"Looks like they're getting ready for the final blow." Seph said. Rae looked at him, her face as pale as possible.

"This isn't a swordfight." She told Seph, who was also pale. "They're just cutting each other up."

"Yeah, no kidding." Seph agreed as Rae looked over the edge. "But this looks like it's gonna be the end."

"Good."

888

"Well Ryan, it seems you've put yourself in a bad position." Vena said, signaling for Dnortih to come and watch. "They're about to end it."

"One big move?"

"Yeah, it seems they both want to look good." Vena said in a strained voice. "Lusniec always did love to show off."

"Well let's see just how good Ryan's gotten."

"Think he can win?" Vena asked. "Honestly I mean."

Dnortih was quiet for a while before answering. "The Kuzu Ryu Sen is his style's strongest attack, but if anyone knows how to counter it, it'll be him." He said.

"Here's hoping."

888

"Ryan, move!" Rikku screamed. Ryan's eyes shot open and the raging wind died down until it was all but gone, as a calm feeling washing over the group. The snow on the ground shot up, hiding the final blow from the group. There was the sound of steal on steal, followed by a sword tip flying out of the snow curtain and embedding itself into the ground next to Auron's foot. A massive amount of blood splattered through the curtain, enough to make Yuna and Rikku sick, and to make the others look away in disgust as the curtain of snow began to settle.

"Now that's what I call overkill." Matt muttered as the snow landed.

"Disgusting." Rikku added.

"Ryan, what did you do to him brudda?" Wakka asked.

"Impressive." Auron admitted.

"Ryan?" Yuna asked in disbelief.

"What in the name of blitzball did you do?" Tidus asked.

"What's all the noise about?" Lulu asked weakly.

"You don't want to know, Lulu." Yuna whispered.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, sitting up and looking over at Ryan. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw him holding himself up simply by his sword, covered in more then three dozen cuts ranging from scratches to deep cuts, and surrounded by blood, not to mention being covered in it. The ground under his left foot was cracked and indented nearly three inches, and five feet behind him lay Lusniec's legs, his upper body a few feet away. "In the name of Yevon!"

"What… was that?" Lusniec demanded through coughs of blood.

Ryan laughed weakly and dropped to his back, starring up at the sky. "That was the Hiten Mitsurugi Style's true succession technique." He said simply.

"But the Kuzu Ryu Sen was your strongest attack!" Lusniec whispered.

"My strongest is what I said. The words 'succession technique' are oddly absent in that statement, aren't they?"

"You tricked me!" Lusniec accused.

"I didn't trick anyone." Ryan replied.

"Then what do you call this!" Lusniec demanded. "You said that the Kuzu Ryu Sen was your strongest attack, but you cut through mine like it didn't exist! How could it have been your strongest attack if whatever the hell you used just now is so much more powerful!"

"He didn't lie…" Matt said, understanding what Ryan was getting at. Lusniec gave him a death glare but he walked over to his friend. "You couldn't do it when you fought Yojimbo, could you?" Ryan shook his head. "Because it takes too much concentration, right?" Ryan nodded. "I thought so. What was it called again?"

"Neither of you ever could remember the name." Ryan whispered. "It's the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. The Dragon's flight of the heaven, the dragon's flight inspired by the heaven, heaven's soaring dragon flash. I'm not sure which one it translates into."

"But what is it?" Auron asked, more then a little curious. Ryan sighed and closed his eyes. When he opened them he found himself starring into Rikku's green swirled eyes.

"Don't worry about it, I got this one." Matt said from somewhere off to Ryan's right as Yuna began casting healing spells on him. Auron turned to face Matt, along with Tidus, Wakka, and Kimahri. "The ultimate attack of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style is, in essence, simply a Battou Jutsu." Everyone but Ryan and Andy looked at him like he was crazy. "Believe me, it's true. The stance, the drawing of the sword, they're identical except for one thing."

"And that is what?" Tidus asked.

"In a normal Battou Jutsu you lead with your right leg so you don't cut yourself, right Ryan." Ryan nodded. "But the attack you just saw was different."

"Ryan's left foot was in front of him and not his right." Lulu stated.

"Exactly." Matt smiled. "When Ryan leads with his right foot he loses a lot of the speed of his draw because his body has to twist more."

"But if he leads with his right he doesn't have to waste energy twisting, making the attack more powerful." Auron summed it up for the group.

"Yeah, exactly." Matt agreed. "Only problem with this technique is that it's a double bladed sword."

"What'd ya mean?" Wakka asked.

"If Ryan had screwed up while he was doing it, he'd have cut off his left leg." Matt told them. "The reason Ryan couldn't use it against Yojimbo is because he couldn't get close enough."

"No, I wouldn't have been able to focus enough." Ryan corrected, sitting up slowly. There was a loud smack and Ryan dropped back to the ground, his hand rubbing his left cheek. He looked up at Rikku who was crying.

"You could've died you jerk! And you're sitting here like nothing's wrong!" She whispered as he sat back up. "They wouldn't let me help you."

Ryan smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry about it." He said. "Besides, me, you, and Tidus still have to figure out how to save Yuna, remember?"

"Right." Rikku whispered into his shoulder.

"If you two are done we'd like to leave this freakin' winter wonderland sometime today!" Andy yelled at the two.

888

"Seph, I thought that Lusniec's attack was the ultimate sword technique." Rae questioned the assassin.

"Guess even the ultimate sword technique has its disadvantages."

"Like what?" Rae asked sarcastically. "Being unstoppable?"

Seph chuckled. "Nothing is unstoppable Rae, nothing." He told her. "The weak point of the Kuzu Ryu Sen lies in its speed."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Simple." Seph smiled evilly. "It's so fast that you can't alter your course. When someone counters instead of trying to block or dodge you can't avoid it."

"Well that's a dumb technique." Rae muttered.

"Not really. The sight of nine sword points coming at just about anyone is enough to make them freeze up with fear."

"I guess."

"It wasn't made to be used in combat." A voice said from behind them. The two whirled around, Seph hurling a pendulum at where he assumed the person's shoulder to be. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such a temper, you're so much like Usi it's creepy." The voice said as a shadow literally rose up of the ground and began to take human form.

"What the hell are you?" Seph demanded.

"Me? You can call me ZP, but I'm not an enemy." ZP said, holding up his hands in a sign of peace. "See, I'm even unarmed!"

'Yeah right.' Seph thought as he gathered water under his sleeve. It was almost automatic to attach them to a pair of pendulums, so he wasn't surprised when he found them tying off to two pendulums. "Alright then ZP. What are you doing here?"

ZP smiled as the shadows began to run off his skin and onto the snow below. "Me? I was here to see an old friend, but our friend Ryan just killed him. So now I'm here to lend you a hand."

"And why is that?" Seph felt the pendulums starting to slide down his sleeve, stopping a few inches before its end.

"Because we have a common goal. We both want Ryan dead for our own reasons, isn't that right?"

* * *

so now the new character appears... and he's marked me for death no less. and lusniec is officially gay, something i'd intended from the beginning... wait until we deal with yunalesca! srry for not updating sooner, and i think it's going to take awhile to update again. so until then, enjoy people! and don't forget to promote my story! i want more people to read it! don't forget to review on your way out!


	15. Zanarkand

i'm back! yeah, and now i've got a question for all my fans. who's your favorite character, and why? and don't forget to leave a review too. now onto review replies! only a couple this time... guess nobody thought i'd update again so quickly after my writers block. oh, i forgot to mention it last chapter, but i've broken the 300 page mark on the original copy! of course that uses 12 point times new roman, but still.

Da Ker MysTeRr- wow, spectacular. i'm glad you liked my fight with lusniec. and yes, everyone wants me dead. i have lots of enemies. well, i'll try and update again soon.

Sephirothxx- yes, only one more time to kill seymour.and i'm glad you liked the fight scenes too!

Plum-chan- muwahahahahahahah! nobody that doesn't know me personally expected that. and even then they only knew because i told them. and lulu's just perceptive, and while she woke up right after the attack, fanfiction deleted the words 'leaning on his left foot' or something like that. that's how lulu knows that i led with my left foot rather then my right. and there's a massive crack in the ground under my left foot...

BOrn-Slippy- hey, don't apologize for being critical, every author needs a critcal person to review it once and a while. As for the Matt and Andy being neglected, do you mean dialouge wise, overall neglected, neglected in fights... gimme something to work with. as for this book, the first of four, is more about me while books 2 and 3 focus more on matt, andy, and the ice goddess. seph and rae will work their way in and out of all of them, and a couple of the characters that are dead may make some come-backs.

lightningwizard- well, welcome back man! i'm glad the fight scenes could make your day!

and now everyone, on to chapter 15!

* * *

Chapter 15: Zanarkand 

The group was finally off of Gagazet, or as Andy liked to call it Gaga-fuck. Actually, they weren't sure if they were off it, just that the ground wasn't covered in snow anymore, a welcome relief. Instead, they were standing in one of the most fucked up places they'd ever seen. Water rose up in mushroom-like styles, and there was a solid wall with people stuck inside of it.

"What is this?" Ryan asked. He was still pale from all the blood he'd lost from fighting Lusniec, and since the battle Rikku hadn't let go of his hand unless there was a fight, and even then she didn't let him do anything but attack from a distance and heal people. The worst part, to Ryan at least, was that everyone had supported her, even Matt and Andy.

"Those are Fayth!" Yuna declared, her voice a mixture of awe and fear. "A summoning! Someone is using these Fayth! Someone is drawing power from all of them!"

"This many?" Rikku squeezed Ryan's hand a little tighter as she asked the question, horrified by the thought of someone so powerful existing.

"Who wields power on this scale, and what could they be summoning?" Lulu wondered aloud.

"Good question." Matt asked as he examined the wall.

Rikku let go of Ryan's hand and turned on Auron, "You know something, don't you? Spill the beans!" She ordered.

"Look not to others for knowledge. This is your journey, too." Auron told her.

"Yunie might die, you know?" Rikku countered, to which Auron said nothing.

"No… Auron's right." Tidus agreed.

"Didn't expect that one." Ryan whispered as he bent down next to Matt who was looking at base of the wall.

"This is our... This is my story." Tidus told everyone.

"It's mine too you know." Andy said as Tidus walked over to the wall. He touched it and there was a bright flash of light. Everyone covered their eyes, and found Andy, Tidus, Ryan, and Matt lying limply on the ground near the wall when they opened them up again.

"Jeez, he can't stay standing for more then an hour!" Rikku complained.

888

Matt, Andy, and Ryan once again found themselves in the familiar, mist filled void of the Fayth. "Well, it's been awhile since we've been here." Matt said with a sigh.

"Isn't that the truth." Andy agreed. He glanced over at Ryan who looked rather nervous. "Somthin' wrong?"

"Rikku made sure I didn't fight cause she didn't want me to over-exert myself and pass out. What do you think she's gonna do when we go back?" Matt and Andy laughed at their friend.

"Well that's a battle you'll never win dude, so give it up." Matt suggested.

"I do not think she will hurt you." Three familiar voices added, not surprising the three friends in the least. "After all, And, Matt, and Tidus have also passed out."

Ryan, Andy, and Matt turned around and found themselves starring at not three Fayth, but eight. "Wow, crowd's gotten a little bigger." Andy noted.

"Indeed." They all said in unison. The three that had first spoke with Andy, Matt, and Ryan at the beginning of their adventure stepped forward. "Everyone behind us, each of them is a Fayth who's Aeon Yuna has acquired. She still needs to get us, and Anima." They told the friends.

"What the hell? I thought only Seymour could use Anima." Matt and Ryan nodded in agreement while the Fayth shook their heads.

"No, Anima is a hidden Aeon, not one exclusive to Seymour." The three teens shrugged. "But you must not allow Yuna to get the final Aeon!"

"No kidding, it'll kill her." Matt said instantly.

"And it will bring about the new Sin." The Fayth added, all eight speaking in unison.

"What!" Ryan, Matt, and Andy yelled, each one of them thinking that it was odd everything said was said in unison.

"A Summoner calls the Final Aeon. The Final Aeon defeats Sin, and then kills its Summoner. Then Yu Yevon takes the Final Aeon and makes it into the new Sin."

"But Yu Yevon isn't going to come back as Sin this time!" Matt yelled.

"Yu Yevon wants to destroy the world as thoroughly and quickly as he can. If he can, he will use every resource available to him. Sin included." The Fayth told them.

"Bastard." Ryan muttered. "Is that all? You called us here to tell us that we can't let Yuna get the Final Aeon? We already planned to keep her from getting it."

The Fayth shook their head. "We've found the last god." They said. The teens gawked at them, amazed by the statement. "She is the ice goddess, as Seph is the water god."

"Bastard." Ryan muttered at the mention of the assassin.

"But there is a small problem." They Fayth continued. "The ice goddess is in your world, and we cannot find her."

"But you found us!" Andy countered.

"You had just died, so your souls were in the void between Spira and Earth, making them easy to find. And, in case you were wondering, only your spirit is on Spira, you are still alive on Earth. What we need you to do is, when this is done, go back to your world and find the ice goddess."

"How will we get back?" Ryan asked.

"We… we will not be able to help you with that." The Fayth admitted. "Once Yu Yevon is destroyed, we shall die. But there is a small tear in the barrier that separates Spira and Earth. The supernatural beings you call ghost, and monsters, they are actually the souls of fiends from Spira. When we send you back, we will be forced to open this hole more, so some fiends may be able to pass through with their physical body. You will need to find them and kill them while you are on Earth looking for the ice goddess." The three nodded. "And you will also need to find that rip. We do not know where it is, or what it looks like, but we are confident that you will be able to find it."

"That's good to hear." Ryan rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"Furthermore there is a three year time limit." The Fayth said. "Something even more powerful then Seymour is at work in the shadows of the world, and it is growing stronger with each passing day. At this rate, it will be strong enough to break out of the Farplane in three years. You must return, with the ice goddess, by then."

"Oh yeah, that'll be hell." Ryan said. "Can't you tell us anything about her?"

"She may use Tonfas." Vena's voice called out, stepping out of the shadows with Dnortih close behind.

"And she will probably be very shy, possibly to the point where she seems anti-social." The thunder god added.

"That helps a little… I guess." Matt said as he nodded towards the two gods. "But we probably won't be able to do all of that in just three years. We're going to need some kind of help."

"We'll still be able to talk to you." Vena pointed out. "And we'll be able to lead you to the general area of the rip. Anything else, we can't guarantee anything."

"Well, it's a start." Ryan said with a sigh. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up suddenly, and he got a bad feeling in his stomach. "What's happening back on Spira?"

"You really are a freakin' guardian angel." Dnortih said with a little surprise evident in his voice. "We just came to tell you that you're needed back on Spira." There was a bright flash of light and the three found themselves starring at a gray, cloudy sky.

Auron's grunt of pain and Kimahri's roar quickly drew their attention to their left, where their friends were battling a giant purple thing that stood on two legs, was twice as tall as anyone in the group, with spikes down its back, dirty blonde looking hair, and a tail that looked like it was from a tadpole. Auron was getting to his feet shakily, and Kimahri was leaping around the thing, barely avoiding the things random blows, most of which cracked the ground.

"Well this'll be fun." Matt said, Lightning Edge digging into the ground as the ring of lighting formed around him, forcing Ryan and Andy to step away quickly.

"Jeez, warn a pal first would ya?" Ryan complained.

"Deal with it." Matt took off towards the fight, bent low and tearing up the ground that passed under his Lightning Edge. When he screamed their friends looked over at him, Tidus quickly jumping out of Matt's path and Rikku cringing at the sight of the lightning. The massive fiend turned to face Matt, bellowing out something that could only be taken as a challenge. Matt gladly accepted, dodging past one arm and jumping on it as the other came in. The behemoth roared as it crushed its own hand with the force of its blow, but Matt's Lightning Edge silenced it as his Chidori dug into the fiend's eye and then into the brain. Matt jumped back as the thing fell, landing next to Rikku who walked away in disgust as he wiped his arm clean.

"Glad to see you're ok." She said as she drew closer to Andy and Ryan who were walking to join the rest of the group. "What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Ryan lied without breaking stride. Rikku looked at him doubtfully, but Andy agreed and she let the matter go without any further thought. "Anyway, it looks like I'm gonna have to hurt someone."

Rikku and Andy looked at him oddly and he motioned to a long cut along her side, which had ripped her shirt. "Wow… barely even noticed that…" Ryan rolled his eyes sarcastically and she punched his arm jokingly in reply.

"Jeez, I let you use my sweatshirt and you go and get it ripped to pieces on me."

"Anyway, Auron said we had to go as soon as you guys woke up. You're not too tired to keep going, are you?" Rikku asked, ignoring Ryan's comment.

Andy made an extravagant yawing motion that caused Rikku and Yuna to laugh, but drew an icy glare from Auron. "Alright, let's go." He said quickly. After a while they reached a cave that Auron said was called the "Caverns of Darkness" and also explained that they held two trials. The first one was stupidly easy. There was a glowing ball, surrounded by four wall-like things that slowly circled it. It took Wakka an entire five seconds to hit the glowing center so they could proceed. The next challenged proved, if not more difficult, more time consuming. Tidus, Rikku, Wakka, Matt, and Andy had to swim through a section of the cavern. Ryan wanted to join them, but Yuna said he was too pale, and Auron forced him to sit down with a single hand. Wakka, Tidus, and Rikku had to figure out what holes in the wall they were supposed to swim into, a puzzle that Matt figured out rather easily. Ten minutes later they were back, and the group started back up again.

"They will be upon us soon." Auron said while they were taking a break. "She has sent fiends to test our Summoner's strength."

"Who is 'She'?" Yuna asked.

"Yunalesca." Auron was walking again, but Yuna just starred at him in awe.

"Lady Yunalesca?" she asked, apparently shaking off her amazement.

"In Zanarkand, she awaits the arrival of the strongest."

"She… is still alive?"

"As much as Mika and Seymour." Auron replied.

"I see." Yuna replied sadly.

"Lost your nerve?" Auron asked as he stopped.

"No. Nothing frightens me now."

"Braska would be proud." Auron told her.

"Then… I must not let him down." Yuna declared after a few seconds of awkward silence. The group took that as their cue to start walking again.

Almost as soon as they stepped out of the cave the ground started to shake. "God damn it!" Matt complained.

"It comes!" Auron informed them.

"This should be fun." Ryan muttered.

"No sword, go it?" Rikku asked him.

"I don't think I'm gonna have a choice…" Ryan whispered, his eyes widening with worry.

"Why not?" Rikku asked. Rikku followed Ryan's gaze and gasped in surprise at the massive fiend that was coming around the corner. It was totally covered in scales, stood on four legs, had a giant tale, and two sets of wings, one pair too small to let the thing fly, and the other pair made of something akin to bone. Its head was covered in spikes, and its nose stuck out over its face while another bone protected the chain. "Oh." Rikku managed to whisper.

"Damn big ass, scaly fiends!" Andy snapped his gloves as he continued to mutter curses under his breath.

"Yuna, cast protective magic." Auron said before he charged the fiend. "Armor Break!" The sound of his sword cutting through scales sent a chill down everyone's back. "Now!" He yelled to Yuna who nodded and started casting protect and shell on everyone. Tidus added in a Hastega, making everyone faster then the creature. Rikku and Tidus seemed to move as fast as Ryan normally did, and Ryan seemed to teleport from place to place with the spell in place. And now he wasn't just limited to the ground, and one of his favorite tactics seemed to be to use the Ryu Tsui Sen while flying down as fast as possible, doing more damage then the attack had ever done before. But even after cutting off the two smaller wings the thing didn't seem bothered by it.

"This is bad." Matt pointed out as the thing started shooting beams out of its wings. The group scattered, evading the blue bolts by a hair if they could, but pretty much only Tidus and Ryan came out without getting hit.

"Damn." Ryan muttered as he and Tidus started to jump around, curing their friends of the various aliments the attack had inflicted. While they did that the giant fiend healed what damage they'd done to it, and then began to charge up a massive energy attack.

"Damn it!" Andy yelled, whipping a kunai at the giant beat. As it got closer it erupted into flames, which multiplied and made hundreds of copies of the kunai, all of them but the original made entirely out of fire.

"That's a new trick." Ryan said, more then a little relieved to see something new. The burning Kunai bounced off of an invisible barrier. "Knew it was too good to be true."

"It's firing that beam!" Lulu shouted, diving out of the way as a wall of orange energy flew towards them. Ryan glanced back at Andy, who was trying to carry a blinded Kimahri out of the way, and then looked back at the beam.

"This is going to hurt." He muttered as he charged the beam. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Kuzu Ryu Sen!" he shouted, filling Wind Cutter with holy energy as it struck nine points around the beam. For a second it looked like he would win the battle, but then the thing fired a second, much weaker beam into the back of the first. Despite the tiny amount of energy that it had added, the beam slammed into Ryan head on, sending him flying into the wall.

"Ryan!" Rikku yelled, running over to him. "Are you ok?"

"I was right." Ryan whispered as he sat up slowly. "That hurt."

"You idiot." She said with a strained laugh. "You're gonna kill yourself at this rate."

"It was that… or Andy and Kimahri." Ryan told her.

"I don't care!" She told him firmly. "I know you wanna protect your friends, but that's a little too extreme."

Ryan smiled. "Ok. I'll be more careful in the future." He told her.

"You'd better." She said as he stood up. Suddenly they heard Suzaku's familiar screech as it dive-bombed their foe, both powerful creatures going up in flames and leaving for good. "Damn it Andy! Why didn't you do that instead of that kunai trick?"

Andy shrugged. "Wanted to try out my new trick." He said simply. Ryan shook his head helplessly.

"Bastard." Ryan muttered.

"Can we rest a little? Ryan's still hurt." Rikku pleaded.

"No need. We reach the summit soon. We can treat our injuries there." Auron told them.

"But soon means there isn't much time left!" Rikku complained.

"Rikku…" Yuna said in a voice that showed how grateful she was for Rikku's concern.

"Fine!" Rikku whinned. "I'll think on my way!" The next twenty minutes passed in silence, other then the random fiend battle. Eventually Tidus stopped and asked Wakka if they were almost there.

"Ya brudda. We've come a long way." Auron laughed at Wakka's comment.

"What's so funny?" Tidus asked.

"You remind me of myself." Auron told him. "Before, the closer I came to Zanarkand, the more I wondered… when we arrive, Braska will call the Final Aeon… He will fight Sin, then die. I thought my mind was made up long before. But when I stood here, my resolve wavered."

"Huh, never would've figured. Even legendary guardians choke sometimes too, ya?"

"Legendary Guardian?" Auron seemed almost offended by the title. "I was just a boy. A boy about your age, actually. I wanted to change the world, too. But I changed nothing. That is my story."

"You were a kid once?" Ryan asked sarcastically. Auron walked off without replying, so those how had listened to his story shrugged and followed him. They came to the ruins of Zanarkand, city of the dead. "So this is it?" Ryan almost couldn't believe that his time in Spira was almost over. The thought of going back to Earth made his heart skip a beat, although whether or not it was from going back to being a nobody or leaving Rikku he wasn't sure. "The last place for our journey…"

Rikku walked away from Ryan and turned to Yuna. "Yunie, I say no! If you go down there, then you'll…"

"Rikku… you're a true friend, and I thank you, but… I must go… down to Zanarkand." Yuna told her.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't go. But shouldn't we think about it some more? There's gotta be some kind of way we can save you, Yuna!"

"All my life I knew this moment would come." Yuna told her.

"Yunie…" Rikku looked like she was going to cry. Yuna rushed over and hugged her, not noticing that something dropped out of her sleeve as she did so.

"Thank you Rikku. Thank you for everything." Yuna told her cousin.

"Don't say that Yunie. It's not over yet!" Rikku told her, resting her head on Yuna's shoulder.

"Tell Cid I said thank you." Yuna asked.

"Tell him yourself!" Ryan and Matt yelled at Yuna angrily, all the other guardians whirling around, weapons drawn or spells at the ready. "You aren't dead yet, are you?" Yuna shook her head numbly. "Then why the hell are you giving up?" Yuna didn't answer. "We're your friends, right?" Yuna nodded. "Friends don't let other friends die. So we're not going to let you die, got it?" Yuna nodded again and Rikku smiled.

"Yeah!" She agreed. "See? We're gonna see each other again, ok?"

Yuna looked away from them for a few seconds before starting towards Zanarkand again. "Kimahri, let's go." The Ronso followed quietly, the rest of Yuna's guardian's slowly joining them until just Matt, Ryan, Andy, and Tidus were standing there.

Tidus bent down and picked up the sphere Yuna had dropped, playing it without hesitating. Yuna's voice came out of the recorder, thanking first Auron, then Kimahri, followed by Lulu and Wakka. "Andy, Matt. Both of you are so quiet, I was a little afraid you didn't like us at first. But then you came to save me at Luca, and I knew that you did like us. It was good to know, and I'm glad you're with us, really. Ryan, you were so easy to get along with. I hope you're still alive to hear this… you have a habit of nearly dying on us." She stopped to giggle for a few seconds. "But that was because you were always trying to help us. You always seemed to get hurt protecting someone… and I'm glad that you're with me on my journey too. I hope all three of you find your way back to… well, wherever you came from. I guess that leaves… the newest guardian. The star player of the Zanarkand Abes! You are… I am… Well, um… I'm glad… I'm glad we met. We haven't known each other that long, but it's funny. So this is what it feels like. It's a much more wonderful feeling than anything I had ever imagined. Wonderful… but it hurts, sometimes. I wonder. I… I just want to say, thank you for everything. Maybe that's why it hurts, sometimes. When I think about us never being together again at all… I'm afraid. No, I shouldn't say that. I'll do that part over. Um…"

"What cha up to?" Tidus's voice cut in. Tidus nearly smacked himself when he heard it.

"Damn, that sucks." Ryan said with a nod.

"Hey, what are you guys doing!" Rikku asked as she walked back towards them. "Auron's already got a campfire going."

"Well we certainly wouldn't want it to go out. I mean, it's not like our friendly god of fire could start another one or anything." Matt said with a roll of his eyes. A bolt of lightning struck a few feet away, and Rikku was curled up in a ball the second it cracked.

"You big meanie!" Rikku accused when she stood back up. "That wasn't very nice." Matt just laughed and led them towards the campfire. By the time they got there Tidus was trying to stall for time by telling stories. Ryan stopped and looked over at Zanarkand. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the path, starring out at the ruins absently. "Something wrong?" Rikku asked, sitting down next to him.

Ryan was silent for a while before answering, "Yeah, that night in Macalania woods… we weren't alone, that's why I stayed behind even though I knew you weren't serious."

"So you were hiding something." Rikku said triumphantly.

"Yeah. I was talking with someone. I dunno who, but he told me that we'd face three evils on Gagazet… but we only fought Lusniec, and Seymour. Where was the third one?"

"That's what you're worried about?" Rikku asked, almost not believing him. Ryan nodded.

"Yeah. Stupid, but I can't help but think that something didn't go right." Ryan admitted. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid."

"Maybe? I think you took a blow to the head when you fell of Gagazet." Rikku told him. "Come on, would you even have been able to fight someone else?" Ryan shook his head and Rikku stood up. "Then stop complaining." When Ryan didn't get up she sat back down and looked at him. "That's not all, is it?" She asked quietly.

"No." Ryan admitted.

"What else has you worried?" Rikku slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently.

Ryan took a deep breath. "I might not… be able to stay in Spira after we kill Sin…"

"What?" Rikku's voice was so quiet that Ryan barely heard her. "Why not?"

Ryan shook his head. "Something about one of the other gods being on Earth. Andy, Matt, and me. All three of us have to go back and find her."

"Why? Once we kill Sin we won't need any more gods!" Rikku stated.

Ryan shrugged. "I guess that's not the only reason we came here." He guessed. Rikku looked at him like he was crazy.

"Why else would you come here?" Rikku asked.

Ryan shrugged again. "The Fayth that brought us here didn't say. Lusniec didn't tell me shit, and Matt and Andy haven't said anything about it. But they know something else is going on. They're not telling us something."

"Then don't worry about it." Rikku suggested, laying down and looking up at the sky. Ryan laid down next to her and she glanced over. "The sky's beautiful at sunset." Ryan nodded. She rolled over until she was laying down on him. "So why did you come to Spira?"

"Well… I got shot in the head in my world. Matt and Andy got shot too. We died, and ended up talking to some of the Fayth. They said they'd give us a second chance at living. In the beginning it was just so that we could keep living." Ryan stopped and thought about it everything that he'd gone through. "But, being in Spira's been like living in a dream. I've always wanted to do something like this, something important, you know?" Rikku nodded. "And here, I'm somebody. Back on earth, I'm invisible. It's just me, Matt, and Andy pretty much. No body really cares what we do, because nobody really cares, except our families."

"You mean none of you have girlfriends? Er… had girlfriends?" She corrected herself with a smile.

"Well, I had one, but that was a while ago. More then a year. I walked in on her and one of my friends, and they were pretty much having sex… needless to say I don't exactly get along with them anymore."

"Wow, that must have sucked."

"That would be one way to put it. Since then, I think I kind of gave up on having a girlfriend. I was afraid of getting hurt again I think." He closed his eyes and took as deep a breath as he could.

"I guess that's understandable." Rikku said.

Ryan nodded and smiled, "I thought I loved her, actually." Rikku frowned. "I didn't, I just didn't in the end, I know that now. But that didn't make it hurt any less."

"If you gave up on having a girlfriend, then what am I?" Rikku asked.

"Very, very special?" Ryan asked, drawing a giggle from Rikku.

"Aside from that." She said.

Ryan thought about it for a minute. "I think coming to Spira was sort of like starting over, maybe. A new beginning sort of thing. After I got to know Lulu and Yuna, I started thinking that maybe the girls here weren't cheating whores… then I met Dona." Ryan added, and Rikku giggled again. "She's just… well, I won't count Dona. Anyway, then I met you. You were just so… carefree. Not to mention headstrong, hot, and easy to get along with." Rikku smiled.

"Compliments aren't going to get you anything." She said in a teasing voice.

"What? I'm not a pervert!" There were a few awkward seconds. "Okay, so maybe I'm a little perverted. But I'm not the kind of guy to go out with someone just to get in her pants. Anyway, I'm getting off track. Actually, the little oxygen I'm getting is just enough to keep me conscious, so I'm not sure I ever actually had a track to start with, and I'm getting a little lightheaded." Rikku slapped him playfully and rolled off, using his outstretched arm as a pillow. Ryan took a dramatic breath. "Ahhh, I can breath again!" He said sarcastically, drawing a little laughter from Rikku. "And you're fun to be around! That was the last one!" Ryan announced.

"Ahhh, so that's why I'm special." Rikku said as Ryan rolled so that their noses were touching.

"Yep, more or less." He agreed. "So now it's your turn." Rikku looked at him oddly. "Why me?" He explained.

"Uhhh…. I'm not sure…" She admitted. Ryan put his free hand over his heart and acted like he was in pain.

"Oh, the pain."

Rikku laughed. "Oh, relax. What I mean was I was never really interested in guys before. I mean, I'm only fifteen. And the few guys I would've gone out with were scared of my dad."

"Well, Cid is scary…" Ryan admitted.

"Nah, he's a softie at heart." She told him. "But I think the reason I was never really interested in guys before was because most of them were just perverts who wanted to have sex with me, or wanted to hook up with me 'cause my dad's the leader of the Al Bhed."

Ryan shook his head sadly. "Man, guys in Spira are weird." He muttered.

Rikku shrugged. "Yeah, but you aren't from Spira. And you didn't want to go out with me just to have sex with me, otherwise you would've tried something those two hours in Macalania."

"Hey, how'd you know it was two hours?" Ryan asked.

Rikku smiled. "I was awake. I wanted to see if you would try anything. I kinda expected you to, to be honest. But you didn't. You just waited for me to wake up… and then proceeded to run to the bathroom at full speed." She added with a snicker. "And you didn't act any differently after you found out that my dad was the leader of the Al Bhed, like most guys do. Plus… you stood up for the Al Bhed when most people would've been insulting us. Not a lot of non-Al Bhed would look at us, not to mention go out with us."

"Yeah, but people tend to be ignorant to others." Ryan said. "I never could stand that."

888

"Seph, what are we doing here?" Raw asked through a yawn. "We've been watching them talk for, what, going on three hours now?"

"Yeah." Seph replied automatically. "Why?"

"Well, I'm tired, and bored, and cold, and really don't wanna sleep in the snow." Rae wrapped her cloak tighter around her body as the wind picked up.

"Yeah. Let's kill him and get the hell out of here." ZP agreed.

"Shut up, ZP." Seph replied, his gaze shifting away from the main group and towards the two figures lying on the ground. He was too high up to make out any certain details, but he was pretty sure one was a guy and one was a girl. At least he hoped that he was right, since they seemed a little too close for two guys. Two girls, well, that thought didn't bother him too much.

"Seph!" Rae whinned to the assassin over another gust of wind that came ripping down the mountain path. Seph whirled around and gave both his companions an annoyed glare.

"Would you both just shut the hell up?" He hissed. "ZP, if you wanna die, go ahead and attack now, and Rae, if you really don't want to be here, then leave." He turned back and noticed that the two figures were walking back to the main group. He heard ZP mutter something and it took most of his willpower to keep from spinning around and impaling the shadow-walking-pain-in-the-ass. Frustrated by the lost chance he almost considered attacking head on, but he'd seen what had happened to Lusniec and Seymour. 'They'll take down anyone that underestimates them. I have to be careful about how I do this.'

"So what are we doing anyway?" The pain in Seph's ass asked.

Seph looked at him like he was insulted by the question. "You are a dumb-ass." He muttered, turning back to watch the group.

"Excuse me?" ZP asked starring at Seph like the assassin had just slapped him.

"You saw what that one kid did to Lusniec." Seph said without turning to face the two. "He cut him in half, even though Lusniec had an unstoppable technique. And the dark skinned kid with black hair, he manipulates Lightning the way I do water. And the tallest kid, he made a bunch of copies of kunai out of pure fire."

"Your point being what? That you're scared to fight them?" ZP questioned.

"My point," Seph's annoyance was beginning to show in his voice, "is that it'd be suicide to go in and attack when we don't know what all they're capable of. You wanna die, by all means, do. It'd make my life a hell of a lot easier." Seph looked back at the group. "But me, I've gotta live till I get my revenge."

888

Tidus had run out of stories to tell before Rikku and Ryan had rejoined their friends, so they were welcomed by an uncomfortable silence. Yuna stood up and told them it was time to go, and no one argued, not even Rikku. They fought their way through the fiends that opposed them in silence, except for the occasional grunt of pain or muttered curse. Eventually they came to the ruined remains of a blitzing arena, where they were greeted by an unsent.

He moved directly over to Yuna, utterly ignoring everyone else. "Journeyer of the long road, name yourself." It ordered.

"I am the Summoner Yuna. I have come from the Isle of Besaid." She answered immediately, her voice filled with determination.

"Your eyes, my dear." The unsent told her. "Show me the long road you have traveled." He starred into Yuna's eyes intently for a few seconds before smiling. "Very good. You have journeyed well. Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go."

Yuna nodded and led the way into the dome. Almost immediately a woman with armor on appeared out of pyreflies. "If it might benefit the future of Spira, I will gladly give my life." She said to the empty space in front of her. "It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask. Use my life, Lady Yocun, and rid Spira of Sin." With that declaration the spirit disappeared.

Rikku started to step back, but ran into Matt instead of open space. "What… what was that?" She asked in a scared voice.

"Our predecessors." Auron said without breaking stride.

"She said "Lady Yocun" didn't she? Wait! She guarded High Summoner Yocun!" Lulu asked in disbelief.

"This dome is filled with pyreflies" Auron told them, still not slowing down. "It's like one gigantic sphere. People's thoughts remain here. Forever." The rest of the group followed him through the dome, not stopping until a young version of a familiar blue haired Maester appeared next to a woman.

"No! Mother, no!" Seymour cried. "I don't want you to become a Fayth!"

"There is no other way." Seymour's mom cried. "Use me and defeat Sin. Only then will the people accept you."

"I don't care about them! I need you, mother! No one else!" Seymour was crying now.

"I don't have much time left." Seymour's mom said before the two disappeared.

"Hey, wasn't that…?" Wakka started.

"Seymour?" Rikku finished. Auron nodded and started back up, apparently determined to get through the area as quickly as possible. The next images stopped him dead in his tracks. Standing before the group was Braska, a young Auron, and Jecht.

"Hey, I've seen him before!" Ryan said, pointing at Jecht.

"What! When?" Tidus asked, spinning around so quickly that he nearly lost his footing.

"After Lusniec knocked me off Gagazet." Ryan told him. "Why?"

"That's… my dad." Tidus admitted. Ryan's face paled.

"But your dad… he's Sin, isn't he?" Ryan asked. Tidus nodded. 'Why the hell would Sin want to help me? I'm trying to kill him.' Auron started again, seeming a little more flustered then usual as he led them to a door where he, Braska, and Jecht appeared once again.

"Are the trials ahead?" Jecht asked.

"Probably." Braska replied, seeming a little sad at the thought.

"Here too, huh?" Jecht seemed annoyed by that. "Gimme a break. I was expecting, you know, parades and… fireworks!"

"You can ask for them after I defeat Sin." Braska told Jecht before the trio disappeared.

"Wonderful. So we have to deal with cloisters here too?" Matt asked.

"Yes." Auron told them before pushing the door open. Inside was a small room with a grid on the floor, a few of the squares had white dots, and a big screen on the far end of the room, with some shapes highlighted on it.

"What are we supposed to do?" Tidus asked, stepping forward and onto the grid. A red symbol appeared under him and he jumped back in surprise. "What the?"

"The symbols on the screen show us what symbols we need to activate on the floor. If we step on a wrong symbol the entire puzzle will reset." Auron told them, walking over and stepping on another. Not even two minutes later they'd gotten the right ones together, and a door opened up, along with six pedestals sliding out of the wall. Auron walked over, pushed one of the pedestals back in, and then walked through the door. The next room was a bigger version of the grid, except for the hole in the middle of the room.

"This could take some doing." Auron was already walking over to the screen. He pushed it and several shapes lit up on the ground. After a few incidents involving someone stepping on a wrong pattern, they finished the puzzle and a symbol appeared on one of the platforms that reached out over the hole slightly.

"Ryan, go push another pedestal." Auron ordered. Ryan bowed and disappeared, and a few seconds later the sound of the pedestal being pushed into place echoed into the larger room, and almost immediately after that Ryan appeared again. They repeated the process for the remaining four pedestals, and each time they solved one of the puzzles a symbol appeared on one of the platform that jutted out slightly over the hole in the middle of the room. "It comes." Auron said quietly. He walked over onto one of the pedestals and drew his sword.

"What's coming?" Rikku asked uncertainly, rolling the sleeve of her sweatshirt up on the right so that she could defend herself. As if her words had been a signal that they hadn't known about a massive fiend appeared. It was thin, with a stinger like tail in place of legs, it had a needle like nose, and scythe like arms. It was also incredibly tall, standing well over a dozen feet.

"That's and fugly fiend." Matt stated as he brought Lightning Edge up and rested it on his shoulder before walking forward to join Auron.

"Fugly would be a compliment…" Ryan said as he watched the thing turn to them and swung one of its arms. The force of the blow was enough to knock Auron back several feet, even though he managed to block it. "That can't be good…"

Several flames that vaguely resembled kunai flew into the thing. It roared in pain, but over all the attack only seemed to annoy it. Cursing, Andy snapped his fingers, four balls of fire appearing instantly. "Dumb ass fiend." He muttered as he sent them rushing forward, but again he did little damage.

Ryan drew Wind Cutter and felt a wave of pain roll through his shoulder blades. He heard everyone gasp as the pain subsided. "Wow brudda, those are some big wings you got there." Wakka commented.

"They must be six feet each!" Lulu added in disbelief.

"Yep." Ryan agreed as he jumped into the air and started to fly towards the fiend. It turned to face him, slashing twice with one claw and then trying to stab him with its tail. The barely dodge the first two, but he felt the third strike brush up against his leg. Instantly the appendage went numb, and Ryan found himself struggling to stay airborne as the poison started to creep through out his entire body.

"Yunie!" Rikku yelled, getting the Summoner's attention. She pointed to Ryan and Yuna instantly cast Esuna on him, stopping the poison and partially restoring the feeling in his body.

"Rikku, move!" Matt shouted. She looked at him oddly, and then jumped to the side in horror as his extra axe flew past her harmlessly. It slammed into one of the guardian's claws but Rikku barely heard it over the explosion from where she'd been standing a few seconds earlier. She cried out in surprise as the force of the explosion sent her flying farther then she'd expected. She landed with a painful thud and groaned in pain.

"Rikku!" Yuna rushed over to her cousin, readying a cure spell in case it was needed.

"Yuna!" Lulu cried in horror. The Summoner looked back and saw a massive stinger-like tail heading for her. She froze in horror and heard Rikku cry out in fear a few feet away.

'This is the end?' Yuna wondered in disbelief. The stinger drew closer and she shut her eyes, unable to watch her death as it came at her. She felt something warm splash onto her and opened her eyes at the lack of pain.

"What the hell?" Matt muttered as he starred at Yuna. In front of her was a thick footwall of solid water so strong that it had stopped the attack completely.

"You are all pathetic." Seph said as he walked through the door to the room. ZP came next, still unarmed, followed closely by Rae. "Let me show you how you kill things."

"Oh shit." Andy muttered as Seph held a cupped hand towards the massive fiend. At first nothing happened, but before anyone could ask what Seph was doing the massive fiend started to convulse. It thrashed about violently, knocking everyone around it back in the process. The sound of hundreds of bones snapping erupted into the large room, echoing loudly as the bones started to rip through the skin, shooting blood everywhere as they cut through muscle, skin, and organ alike. Rikku and Yuna covered their ears, and Lulu looked away from the horrible scene. Auron and Kimahri watched impassively, ZP stepped in front of Rae so she didn't have to watch, while Wakka and Ryan started throwing up. Tidus, Andy, and Matt just watched in horror as the thing exploded, launching blood and guts in every direction. Everyone's shadow jumped up in front of him or her, stopping the horrible smelling gore from actually hitting. In place of the fiend was a giant ball of water, at least three feet in diameter.

"That was impressive." ZP commented as he stepped out from in front of Rae. "What exactly was it?" Seph shook his head but made no other motion to show that he'd even heard the question. Instead he walked over to Yuna and Rikku.

"So you're the traitor." He said, squatting down to look Yuna in the eyes. "Yet you still want to save the people of Spira from Sin." Yuna nodded slowly, her eyes wide with fear. "I told you I'd kill all of you, remember?" Yuna nodded again and tried to back away but a wall of water appeared behind her. "That's going to have to wait."

"Wow, finally someone who's not here to kill us." Tidus said thankfully.

"Then why are you here?" Ryan asked, drawing attention to himself for the first time. Rae, ZP and Seph all starred at him for a second as he dropped to the floor, his wings disappearing in a flash of light.

"Oh, I was here to kill you." Seph admitted. "But I've lost more friends to Sin then I have for you. So for now, I'll let you live. So long as you let us help you kill Sin."

"What!" ZP cried. Seph gave him a lazy glance as ZP stalked across the room and grabbed him by the collar. "You lying bastard! You said we would kill them when we started!"

Seph's hand shot out so fast Ryan barely noticed it. ZP's head snapped back from the force of Seph's punch. Another kick and ZP was starring at the ceiling, a pendulum dangling right in front of his face. "When we started this I said we'd kill them. I never said when, I never said how. I told you before, if you wanna die, go right ahead and try to kill them now."

ZP glared at the patient assassin but said nothing. After a few more tense seconds Seph pulled the pendulum back and allowed ZP to stand back up. Instead he kicked out at Seph's legs. The battle-tested assassin jumped over the ill-conceived attack. He spun to face ZP, who was rolling away from Seph now, and launched a pendulum at the teen. A second before his pendulum connected with ZP's skull the boy jerked, a throwing star slamming into the base of his neck and knocking him forward and into Seph's pendulum.

Seph looked up and saw Ryan, arm still stretched out, another throwing star in his other hand. "Thought I was the assassin."

"Yeah well. I don't like to kill, but you said you'd help us fight Sin. That's a battle we're gonna where we'll need all the help we can get." Ryan told Seph. "And we've seen what you can do."

"So you did that to protect me?" Seph asked, attempting to clarify Ryan's reasons.

"Well, that and the fact that this kid wanted to kill us all now, before we could save the world." Ryan shrugged.

"Regardless, Yuna, we are here." Auron told the Summoner, although his eyes never left Seph. The assassin starred back, not backing down an inch.

"That hall of the final summoning." Yuna said quietly.

"Go." Auron ordered.

"Yes." Yuna walked over to the elevator that had appeared and went down the chamber. A few minutes later she was back at the top, a worried look etched across her face. "Sir Auron! Everyone!" she cried.

"Oh boy." Matt muttered, already on the platform. Rikku, Tidus, Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri got on, leaving no room for the others.

"We'll be right down." Auron told them. Yuna nodded and the lift started down. "So what will you do now, Ryan?" Ryan turned and regarded Auron with open confusion. "You have the power to kill the most powerful swordsman to ever walk Spira. What will you use it for?"

"Well, right now I'm gonna use it to help Yuna. As for the future… I'll keep on protecting my friends."

Auron smiled slightly. "I see. I'm glad." Ryan looked at him, once again confused, but Auron made no effort to explain what he meant.

"Jeez, you make it sound like you thought I was gonna go mass murderer on everyone or something." Ryan muttered.

"I asked only because I do not know what you will go through when you return to Earth." Ryan and Andy whirled on him, starring with open bewilderment. "I've lived in Spira. I've lived in Tidus's Zanarkand. But I know nothing about your world, beyond what you have told us. And from what you have told us, it seems like you didn't exactly enjoy yourself there."

"But how did you know that we were going back?" Ryan asked. The elevator arrived and Auron stepped on, motioning for them to follow. With no answer forthcoming they walked on and rode the elevator down. At the bottom they found the remains of the fiend that Seph had destroyed, and a hallways. Following the hallway they found the rest of their group.

"This isn't a Fayth." Yuna said as soon as they were in the room. "It's just an empty statue."

The man that they'd met before entering the dome appeared. "Ah, so you did survive." He said when his gaze fell on Rae and Seph. Rae looked down slightly, but Seph simply nodded. "That is good." He turned to Yuna. "This statue lost its power as a Fayth long ago. It is Lord Zaon, the first Fayth of the final summoning. What you see before you is all that remains of him. Lord Zaon is… his soul is gone."

"Gone?" Wakka cried in disbelief.

"You mean, there is no Final Aeon?" Rikku asked hopefully.

The man nodded and Ryan thought Rikku was going to break his hand out of sheer joy. "But fear not." Rikku's grip loosened drastically as her hope died. "Lady Yunalesca will show you the path. The Final Aeon will be yours. The Summoner and the Final Aeon will join powers. Go to her now. Inside, the lady awaits." The man disappeared, revealing a doorway behind him.

"Yuna wait!" Tidus spun on Auron. "Auron, you knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rikku whinned.

"If I had told you the truth, would that have really stopped you from coming?" Auron asked. Everyone fell silent.

"Yuna." Kimahri said.

"I'm not going back." She told him.

Kimahri stepped past her and walked towards the doorway. At the entrance he stopped and said "Kimahri knows. Kimahri goes first. Yuna is safe. Kimahri protect." With that the Ronso disappeared inside the doorway. The rest of the group filtered in silently and found Yunalesca waiting for them, and with her long silver hair and bathing suit on all of the men, except for Auron, and Ryan whom Rikku elbowed in the side, couldn't help but gawk for several seconds.

"Lady Yunalesca." Yuna said reverently.

"Welcome to Zanarkand. I congratulate you, Summoner." Yunalesca returned Yuna's bow with a nod of her head. "You have completed your pilgrimage. I will now bestow you with that which you seek. The final summoning… will be yours. Now, choose. You must choose the one whom I will change… to become the Fayth of the final summoning."

"You're shitting me…" Ryan muttered in disbelief, his words hidden by the gasps of horror from his friends.

"Seems like one of us dies no matter what." Seph commented with an amused grin. He felt Rae's hand slip into his and squeeze it gently and looked at her in surprise. She was looking at her feet intensely, and silent tears were running down her face.

"I sense that one of you has been here before." The group gasped again and Seph's eyes went wide as he realized why Rae was looking down at the ground, and why she summoned fiends to fight for her the way Summoners summoned Aeons.

"No way…" he whispered. Rae looked at him, her eyes begging him to stay quiet.

"You, girl, in the back." Yunalesca called out. Rae's eye's widened in horror and her body went rigid as she turned to face the First Lady of Yevon. "Yes… you were here… two years ago?" Rae nodded. "You… you couldn't bring yourself to accept the final summoning, correct?" Again Rae nodded. Yunalesca smiled a smile somewhere in-between Seph's smile and Lusniec's smile. "And he died, protecting you on your journey home, didn't he?"

"Shut up!" Rae whispered as she dropped to her knees, crying openly.

Yunalesca shook her head at Rae as if she was a disgrace to all Summoners. "There must be a bond between Summoner and chosen, for that is what the final summoning embodies: the bond between mother and child, husband and wife, or between friends. If that bond is strong enough, its light will conquer Sin. A thousand years ago I chose my husband Zaon as my Fayth. Our bond was true, and I obtained the Final Aeon. There is nothing to fear. You will soon be freed of your worry and pain. For once you call forth the Final Aeon, your life will end." Everyone flinched at those words. "Death is the ultimate and final liberation. Your father, Braska, chose this path." Yunalesca left them alone with those words, walking through the closed doors on the far side of the room. In the oppressive silence that followed her exit the group went over what they'd just heard. Suddenly Braska, Jecht, and a young Auron appeared.

"It's not too late! Let us turn back!" Auron pleaded with his two friends.

"If we turn back, who will defeat Sin?" Braska asked him. "Would you have some other Summoner and his guardians go through this?"

"But… my lord, there must be another way!" Auron argued.

"This is the only way we got now!" Jecht told him. "Fine. Make me the Fayth. I been doing some thinking. My dream is back in the other Zanarkand. I wanted to make that runt into a star blitzball player." Tidus sucked in his breath at the comment. "Show him the view from the top, you know. But now I know there's no way home for me. I'm never going to see him again. My dream's never gonna come true. So make me the Fayth. I'll fight Sin with you, Braska. Then maybe my life will have meaning, you know."

"Don't do this Jecht!" the young Auron yelled while the older Auron tightened the grip he had on his sword. "If you live… there may be another way! We'll think of something, I know!"

"Believe me, I've thought this through." Jecht told Auron. "Besides… I ain't getting any younger, so I might as well make myself useful."

"Jecht." Braska seemed grateful and sad at the same time.

"What! You're going to try and stop me, too?" Jecht complained.

"Sorry, I mean… thank you." Braska corrected himself.

"Braska's still has to fight Sin, Auron. Guard him well. Make sure he gets there." Now Jecht turned to face Braska. "Well, let's go."

"Lord Braska! Jecht!" Auron cried out.

"Now what do you want?" Jecht asked.

"Sin always comes back! It comes back after the calm every time! The cycle will continue and your deaths will mean nothing!"

"But there is always the chance that it won't come back this time. It's worth trying." Braska told him.

"I understand what you're saying, Auron. I'll find a way to break the cycle." Jecht assured Auron's younger self.

"You have a plan?" Auron asked in disbelief.

"Jecht?" Braska seemed more then a little surprised too.

"Trust me, I'll think of something." Jecht assured them with a laugh. The real Auron charged forward and attacked the memory of himself, apparently unable to deal with the images any more.

"And the cycle went on." He whispered.

"We'll break it!" Tidus assured him.

"I agree with the jock." Ryan added, drawing a laugh from Tidus.

"But how? What, you got a plan now?" Wakka demanded of the two.

"If one of us has to be a Fayth… I volunteer." Lulu said.

"Me too, Yuna!" Wakka agreed.

"That still won't change anything, you know?" Tidus told them. "You'd bring the Calm, then what? That won't break the cycle!"

"Listen… you wanna defeat Sin and keep Yuna alive… You don't want Sin to come back, ya? That's just not gonna happen, brudda, you know?" Wakka told his friend.

"If you want everything, you'll end up with nothing." Lulu agreed.

"Jeez, I'm supposed to be the pessimist here." Ryan complained. "You know, I know for a fact that Lulu's right." Everyone looked at him. "When I was on earth, I had a tendency to have… periods where I… well… wanted to kill myself." Everyone gasped except for Auron, Kimahri, and Seph who just watched him impassively. "Anyway, all I wanted to do was to get rid of all the pain I felt. Even if it meant dying. But I decided, 'I'll give it one more day. Who cares if I suffer in the shadows for one more day?' and you know what? When we got here, I found out that I didn't have to suffer all the time. I learned to deal with the pain and moved on."

"What does that have to do with saving Yuna? I want everything, I want to save Yuna!" Tidus yelled as Yuna blushed slightly.

"I didn't give up when it would've been easy to just grab a gun, put it to my head, and pull the trigger. I suffered instead. So why don't we all deal with our suffering a little longer, and come up with a way to kill Sin that doesn't involve Yuna dying, hmmm?"

"Now you're being childish!" Wakka accused.

"So?" Wakka looked at him oddly. "Would you rather I do what an adult would do?"

"Yeah, would you rather we just throw away the life of a Summoner? Just so we can do what we want? We may not have a chance in hell, but isn't it worth trying?" Matt asked.

"And maybe what Auron said about there being another way… maybe it's true." Andy added.

"You'll think of something?" Rikku asked them hopefully.

"I'll go ask Yunalesca. She's got to know something." Tidus declared.

"Do you think she'll help you?" Rikku asked.

"Well, there's really only one way to find out." Ryan and Matt said as they started forward with Tidus.

"Yeah. This is my story. It'll go the way I want it… or it'll end here." Ryan slapped Tidus in the back of the head.

"This is our story too, you dim-witted jock." Ryan said as he, Rikku, Matt, and Andy walked through the door to Yunalesca's chambers.

"Have you chosen the one to become the Fayth? Who will it be?" Yunalesca asked when Yuna came in. "Or perhaps Rae will decided to acquire the final summoning this time."

"Might I ask something first?" Yunalesca nodded to Yuna's request. "Will Sin come back even should I use the final summoning to defeat it?"

"Sin is eternal. Every Aeon that defeats it become Sin in its place… And thus Sin is reborn." Yunalesca explained.

"So that's why Jecht became Sin." Tidus muttered to himself.

"Sin is an inevitable part of Spira's destiny. It is never ending." Yunalesca told them.

"Never ending?" Wakka asked in disbelief. "But… but… if we atone for our crimes, Sin will stop coming back, ya? Someday, it'll be gone, ya?"

"Wakka, is that what Yevon says?" Wakka nodded and Matt nearly laughed at him. "Humanity will never reach such purity. For every light…"

"There must be an equal or greater darkness to keep the balance of the world." Ryan finished the sentence. "Just like me and Lusniec. Right, Yunalesca?" Yunalesca nodded.

"This… this cannot be! The teachings state that we can exorcise Sin with complete atonement! It's been our only hope all these years!" Lulu yelled.

"Hope is… comforting." Yunalesca told the black mage. "It allows us to accept fate, no matter how tragic it might be."

"No!" Tidus yelled, his sudden outburst startling even Auron, Seph, and Kimahri. Before Tidus could charge Yunalesca the young version of Auron appeared.

"Where is the sense in all of this?" It demanded. "Braska believed in Yevon's teachings and died for them. Jecht believed in Braska and gave his life for him!"

"They chose to die… because they had hope." A memory of Yunalesca said, appearing a few feet in front of the real unsent. The image of Auron charged her, but she knocked him back with an invisible attack. The images faded and Yunalesca turned to the group again. "Yevon's teachings and the final summoning gave the people of Spira hope. Without hope, they would drown in their own sorrow. Now choose. Who will be your Fayth? Who will be the one to renew Spira's hope?"

An uneasy silence fell over the group before Yuna stepped forward. "No one." She said simply, but the words hit Yunalesca like a wet glove. "I would have gladly died. I live for the people of Spira, and would gladly have died for them. But no more! The final summoning… is a false tradition that should be thrown away!"

"No. It is our only hope. Your father sacrificed himself to give that hope to the people. So they would forget their sorrow." Yunalesca seemed unnerved by Yuna's conviction.

"Wrong. My father… My father wanted… to make Spira's sorrow go away. Not just cover it up with lies!"

"Sorrow cannot be abolished. It is meaningless to try." Yunalesca looked like she was going to freak out soon.

"My father… I loved him. So I… I will live with my sorrow, I will live my own life!" Yuna told Yunalesca. "I will defeat sorrow, in his place! I will stand my ground and be strong. I don't know when it will be but someday, I will conquer it. And I will do it… without false hope." Ryan clapped.

"Man, you should be a public speaker Yuna." He said and everyone couldn't help but laugh a little. "Well, you heard her Yunalesca. We're gonna take Sin down, and we're gonna do it without you final summoning."

"Poor creatures. You would throw away hope." Yunalesca had finally regained her composure. "Well… I will free you before you can drown in your sorrow. It is better for you to die in hope then live in despair."

"It's a bit late for that one lady." Ryan commented with a sarcastic roll of his eyes.

"Let me be your liberator!" Yunalesca said as she started to gather magical energy.

"Now! This is it!" Auron yelled as he drew his sword. "Now is the time to choose! Die and be free of pain or live and fight your sorrow! Now is the time to shape your stories! Your fate is in your hands!"

"Yuna needs Kimahri." The Ronso drew his spear and dropped into a defensive stance. "Kimahri protect Yuna."

"Well, I'm fighting!" Rikku said happily.

"I can't believe we're fighting Lady Yunalesca! Gimme a break!" Wakka whined as he prepared for the battle.

"You can always run." Lulu reminded him.

"Hah! I'd never forgive myself-no way! Not if I ran now! Even in death, ya!"

Wakka told her.

"My thoughts exactly." Lulu admitted.

"Well that just proves you two are made for each other." Ryan said as he drew Wind Cutter. Lulu and Wakka looked at him, then at each other, and blushed slightly. "Guess I have to keep you alive long enough for you to sort everything out. So lets get this over with, eh?"

"What about us!' Rikku asked playfully.

"Oh yeah, there's that too. Believe me, I'm not gonna forget about you anytime soon." Rikku smiled at the comment. "I mean, you do have my sweatshirt after all." He added jokingly, drawing a nervous laugh from everyone present.

"Yuna, this is our story! Now lets see this through together!" Tidus shouted.

"Jeez, I guess I have to help if I'm gonna kill all of you, don't I?" Seph said with a roll of his eyes.

"This sounds like fun." Andy commented, five balls of fire erupting into life around him.

"Wrong, it sounds like we're about to kick Yunalesca's ass. Such a pain." Matt said sarcastically as he picked Lightning Edge up in one hand and his other axe up in the other one. "Well, lets get this over with."

"Vunlac uv Tynghacc rayn so juela. Lusa yht pnayg dra uha dryd cdyhtc eh so fyo!( Forces of Darkness hear my voice. Come and break the one that stands in my way!)" Rae's voice started off slowly and grew louder towards the end. The wind picked up the way it had when Lusniec appeared, only instead of the angel it was one of the giant birds from Bikanel Desert, thing fiend's massive wings almost crushing the group each time it beat them. "Damn fiend! Not right over us!" She yelled. The fiend instantly moved so that it was hovering in front of the group rather then over it. "Stupid fiends."

"Well, you're the one that keeps summoning them." Seph said jokingly. "What does that say about you?"

"Stupid boys." Rae added.

"Again, you're the one that came on to me. So yet again, what does that say about you?"

"Would you shut up?" Rae asked. "It's not the easy thing in the world to summon and control spirits, you know?"

"No, I wouldn't. After all, I'm not dumb enough to do that." Seph said sarcastically.

"No, just dumb enough to rush head long into any fight, even if you know you can't win." Rae countered. "And then some friendly fiends always seem to come and save your sorry ass."

"Yeah, yeah." Seph said as he dropped twelve pendulums to the ground from each hand. The razor sharp blades cut into the rock and stuck point up, making it rather easy for Seph to attach all the strands of water to them.

"You've got more then 2 of those things?" Ryan asked.

"Actually… I've got 40, give a dozen." Seph corrected.

"Wonderful." Ryan muttered.

"Quite." Seph agreed.

"Silence!" Yunalesca roared. Ryan, Seph, and Andy responded by hurling their respective ranged weapons at her. A gun shot and the twang of Matt's bow followed quickly, and a massive amount of arrows made out thunder, and kunai made out of fire. The assault slammed into Yunalesca, who barely managed to get a shield up. But even with all her power she was no match for three of the four gods, and the new angel. She jerked as the weapons flew through her body and dropped to the ground silently.

"That's it?" Ryan asked.

"No way. That was way too easy." Matt stated.

"Did I ever tell you how much you guys scare me at times?" Rikku and Rae asked at the same time. They looked at each other and started laughing. The relief spread throughout the group quickly, and even Auron and Seph couldn't keep themselves from laughing a little.

"And to think we were worried." Matt said.

"You should be." Yunalesca's voice sounded like she was possessed in a really old horror flick, with the double voice. "I will free you from you suffering!" This time her voice was completely her own, but it was as loud as a thunderclap each time she spoke. The group spun around and saw her rising up twenty feet into the air, supported solely by her hair.

"You're kidding." Seph muttered when he noticed that she was completely healed. In response several of her thick strands of hair started to burrow through the ground and after the group. They scattered in every direction, but the slower characters weren't able to escape the attack. Auron and Kimahri got hit in the legs by the end of Yunalesca's hair, the mouth like things biting into them but inflicting very little pain. Instead a familiar inky blackness seeped into the cut.

"Zombie!" Tidus warned as he cast a haste spell on Yuna. The white mage instantly ran over to them, giving each of them a holy water before summoning Bahamut. The massive Aeon starred Yunalesca in the face for a few seconds then got down on all fours. The pinwheel on its back started to spin, and a few seconds later it launched a beam of pure energy at the holder of the Final Aeon. She countered with an energy shield, only this time it held up to the assault. "Hastega!" Tidus cried out. Ryan smiled and took off at top speed.

"What the hell? Where'd the other kid go?" Rae asked, looking around in confusion.

Rikku and Matt laughed slightly. "Ryan's really fast to begin with, right?" Matt said. Rae and Seph nodded. "That's because his style of swordsmanship involves moving so quickly it's just barely perceivable by the human eye. So when Tidus used Hastega and Ryan had the haste spell on him, he's even faster then normal. He can't be detected by the human eye."

"I see." Seph said, more then a little impressed. 'He may be fun to hunt.'

"Attack!" Rae yelled to the massive fiend she'd summoned. The creature let out a roar and charged Yunalesca. Before it got close enough to attack three of Yunalesca's hairs jumped out of the ground and grabbed its wings and neck. There was a snap, a spray of blood, and then the fiend went limp in the attack's grasp. Rae smirked slightly and turned to Seph. "Lemme see one of your pendulums for a second."

"Is this really the time?" Seph asked.

"Now!" Rae yelled. Seph shrugged and dropped one out of his sleeve.

"Don't cut yourself." He warned as he handed it to her. She took the blade and cut her palm open before handing it back. "What the hell?"

"Later." Rae took a step back and looked at Yuna. "Do you have Anima?" She asked. Yuna looked at her oddly and shook her head. "What's your strongest Aeon?" Yuna pointed to Bahamut. "Alright then. See if you can get him behind Yunalesca."

"Why?" Yuna asked.

"Just trust me. I've got a score to settle with this bitch." Rae told her grimly. "Everyone, you're gonna wanna move back a little bit. Ryan!" The boy appeared a few feet in front of her. "Can you keep Yunalesca busy? This could take a few minutes."

"Sure, I'll even dress in drag and do the hula for ya." Ryan said sarcastically as he disappeared.

"Hey, I wanna see that one!" Matt yelled.

"Me too!" Rikku added.

"Ok, everyone, back up." Everyone did as Rae ordered. A cry of pain from Yunalesca and a muffled grunt of pain from Ryan told Rae she didn't have much time to work with. "E cissuh oui Aeon uv Tynghacc. Lusa du sa Anima (I summon you Aeon of Darkness. Come to me Anima)!" Rae yelled as she slammed her hand into the ground. Her blood seeped out from under her hand and formed a bunch of strange markings on the ground around her hand. Matt looked on with wide eyes.

"A summoning technique! What the hell?" As Matt asked the question a familiar inky black hole started to expand from Rae's hand. She jumped back, pale from loss of blood. Rikku and Seph went work instantly, cleaning and dressing the cut as a hook fell into the hole. Sure enough, when the hook reappeared, it was dragging Anima to the surface.

"Rae, when on Spira did you learn to summon Aeons?" Seph asked as the mummified Aeon went to work on Yunalesca, who had just knocked Ryan to the ground with one of her hairs.

"Well… three years ago I was a Summoner." She told him. Everyone looked at her like she was a fiend herself. "My best friend was my guardian. We got every Aeon, even Seymour's. But when we got here… I just couldn't use him for the final summoning. So we left, but on our way back down Gagazet he got killed. Until now, I hadn't summoned an Aeon since then."

"So that's what Yunalesca was getting at." Matt muttered as he watched the two Aeons crush Yunalesca. "Well, I'd say our Summoners took care of Yunalesca…"

"No." Seph said, his eyes narrowing. Yunalesca fell to the ground and it started to shake. "I'd say they just pissed her off."

"Damn it." Andy muttered.

"Give me a break!" Tidus complained. "Can't she just stay dead?"

"I will never die!" The deep voice that had spoken in unison with Yunalesca earlier roared. The ground seemed to explode, launching rocks, and Ryan, towards the group. The swordsman landed with a thud on the ground.

"You ok?" Andy asked with a raised eyebrow.

Ryan raised a hand and gave him a thumb up. "Yeah. Just fine." He stated with a roll of his eyes.

"Good." Andy, Matt, and Seph stepped forward. "Suzaku." The giant bird flared into existence.

"Yamu." Matt stated as electricity in the shape of a wolf crackled into life.

"Leviathan." Seph whispered the words as a Chinese dragon appeared out of the air in front of him. "Well, lets do this." Matt and Andy nodded and the three beasts charged Yunalesca, who was now little more than a medusa head.

"No! Matt, stop!" Rae yelled. Matt and Yamu turned to face her as one, but Suzaku exploded, drowning out Rae's words. Leviathan roared and tried to push its way through Yunalesca, but succeeded in doing little more then destroying itself. Yamu roared and charged Yunalesca. As it ran it turned into a massive bolt of lightning with fangs. It slammed into Yunalesca, but she seemed to enjoy the attack rather then get hurt. "Idiot! She absorbs lightning!"

"Now you tell me." Matt muttered. He lifted his axes and charged Yunalesca's head. Several of the worm-like hairs she had burrowed into the ground. The rocks around Matt shot up as three of them launched their attacks.

Matt split the first one in half with an overhead swing from both axes. The weapon's tore through the face on the end of the hair, but got stuck when he tried to pull them out. One of the remaining two fell when Anima and Bahamut both attacked it, the black energy of their attacks disintegrating it instantly. The third found itself wound up in two-dozen strings of water that were slowly digging into it. Blood poured from every part of it that was touched by the strands of water, and the harder it tried to reach Matt, who had just freed his axes, the deeper the strands dug into it. Seph grabbed all the water strands in his hands and pulled. The hair toppled to the ground where Tidus, Lulu, and Kimahri made short work of it.

Yunalesca's Medusa head roared in anger. A jester-looking phantom appeared in front of the group. It was missing its lower body, but its hands were wicked looking claws. It floated towards Auron and Lulu first. It looked them over for a second before swinging its claw. Lulu jumped back, the claw barely missing her stomach. Auron raised his sword to block, but the claw passed through it like it wasn't there. It grazed Auron's stomach and Auron went limp instantly. His massive sword slipped to the ground as he collapsed.

"Auron!" Tidus yelled. He rushed over to the fallen warrior and checked his pulse. His face paled and he shook his head slowly. "No!" He yelled, rising and turning to face the phantom. He swung his sword but it passed through the ghostly image without any effect. The clawed hand lashed out, catching Tidus on the arm. He too fell to the ground.

"Tidus!" Yuna yelled in disbelief. She pointed her staff at her friend and launched her spell. There was a flash, and when it faded Tidus was standing again, looking more then a little confused, but very much alive. He reached down and picked up his sword while Yuna repeated the spell on Auron. The sword master barely seemed surprised that he was alive again, and wasted no time in retrieving his sword.

A cry of pain drew everyone's attention back to Yunalesca's Medusa head, where Matt had just shoved Lightning Edge into one of her eyes. He jumped away from one of her worm-hairs and charged towards the other eye, his extra axe held in the air. He brought it down and felt it rip through the demon's eye with little resistance. As blood squirted out Yunalesca thrashed about with her tentacles wildly. Auron and Anima dealt with any that came too close to the group, while Yuna and Bahamut took care of Yunalesca. The king of dragons grabbed her by the stalks of hair on her head and lifted her into the air. Instantly all of Yunalesca's hair focused on the one Aeon, but Matt, Auron, and Lulu kept them too distracted to do anything.

"Rae! Hit it now!" Yuna cried, pointing to Yunalesca's unprotected underside. Rae nodded and Anima charged up a powerful attack. The beam shot through the creature's bottom and Bahamut dropped Yunalesca onto her back. Pyreflies were leaking from its shoulder as Yuna dismissed the mighty Aeon. Slowly Yunalesca returned to her original body.

"If I die, so does the Final Aeon. And with it, Spira's only hope." Yunalesca warned as Anima disappeared and Rae collapsed.

"Then we'll find Spira a new hope!" Tidus told her.

"Fool. There is no other way. Even if there was… even if you did destroy Sin… Yu Yevon would only create Sin anew." Yunalesca explained through coughs of blood.

"Yu Yevon!" Matt, Andy, and Ryan cried in unison.

"Ah… Zaon… forgive me… Spira has been robbed of the light of hope… all that remains is sorrow." Yunalesca whispered before pyreflies started to pour out of her body.

"I cannot believe what we just did." Yuna whispered as she watched Yunalesca's corpse disappear.

"Let's do something even more unbelievable." Tidus told her.

"What?" Rikku asked.

"Destroy Sin. So it won't come back, and without the Final Aeon." Tidus told her. "I don't know how just yet. But I'll find out."

"I'm with you." Andy agreed. "We would've had to do it anyway, right?" Tidus nodded. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"

Seph led the way back through the ruins, cutting down anything that tried to attack them. Ryan watched in amazement as the assassin coordinated the attacks of his multitude of razor sharp blades with flawless, and more then a little terrifying, skill. When they walked out of the dome they found themselves starring down Sin.

"Oh shit." Andy muttered.

* * *

well, that's chapter 15! i'll try and post as soon as possible, i know you're all dying to see what happens next. only the legendary weapons and omega ruins, probably next chapter; sin and returning to earth; and then the epilouge. remember people, don't forget to vote for your favorite charcter and give me a reason! cya next time! 


	16. Preparing for Sin

We're getting down to the end people... as far as I can tell, there's only gonna be 2 more chapters after this one. I'm kinda shocked that I was able to get so far in this. Normally i'd have given up on a story by now, but i think having reviewers kept me going. so on that note, on to the reviews!

Sephirothxx- yes, yunalesca is dead. thank god. and yes, i thought Rae's "little talent" would be liked. and yes, seph does kick serious ass. so far he's winning my poll. i'm glad you liked the fight scenes!

Da Ker MysTeRr- well, i guess you'll be waiting a little longer for the next update since iplan to finish the actual game related chapters in the next chapter. so we're going back to earth at the end of the chapter. but i'll try not to take too long with that.

lightningwizard- i'm glad you like my fight scenes... everyone seems to. anyway, Ryan will NOT be dressing in drag and doing the hula, although he might in the epilouge or the prequel to the next book (in which he has a serious drinking problem might i add).

BOrn-Slippy- well, i'm hoping that since that was the best chapter so far that this one will be better. i personally think it is. and i've never seen anyone comment on my fight scenes as being "stunning", only as great or good. sometimes amazing. thanx for the praise!

labrat-seph- don't worry aboutit, i haven't reviewed, or even read, several of the fics i normally read lately. as for the party having two summoners and neither sending auron, Rae doesn't care since she's a fallen summoner, and yuna doesn't know yet. and perhaps my writing seemed a little off because Ryan got his ass handed to him instead of saving the day, righ BOrn-Slippy? and as for the e-mail thing, i'm gonna finish it and then go back and redo all the gramar and what not, so if you wanna help, you could just correct the chapters that are up. i didn't mean to not tell you, i suffer from memory problems too, so i kept forgetting.

Kyela- welcome to my ring of reviewers! i'm not sure if you're actually this far. it said you reviewed chapter 1, but you mentioned Ryan's wings so i know you're acutally farther then that. but as for the Ryan/Rikku thing, Rikku's staying in Spira and Ryan's going back to Earth. but fear not, this series has at least 3 books, probably 4! there's plenty more to come people!

Plum-chan- hundreth time? really? didn't know i had that many plot twists... but i seem to be very good at them, even when i was a crappy writer (i've only really gotten good since i started this fic). and don't worry, there'll be more plot twists in the next book, and more in book 3 too. you'll have strong toes by the end of the series ;p

and that's all for the reviews so on to the story!

* * *

Chapter 16:Preparing for Sin

"Dad?" Tidus asked the giant fiend. Seph and Rae looked at him like he was insane, but Tidus kept talking "I know. The final summoning is gone. But I'll think of something! Just give me a little more time!"

Sin floated there for a second, and Matt, Ryan, and Andy felt their blood run cold with fear until it turned and left. As it left a familiar airship flew in and took its place. It landed and a couple of Al Bhed came out, motioning for the group to get on quickly.

When they reached the bridge the pilot was yelling something in Al Bhed, but Cid ignored him and turned to face his niece's group. "Well aren't we the happy lookin' bunch." The pilot started to yell again but Rikku freaked out on him.

"'Were, where?'" Is that all you can say? Why don't you think of something?" She demanded. Nobody said anything for a while until Auron spoke up, asking if anyone had any good ideas.

"Come on! Help us!" Tidus whined.

"What do we know… Sin is Jecht. Thus you have a link… a bond with Sin. That may be our key."

"So what do we do?"

"We think and we wait." Auron told him.

"Two things I'm bad at." Tidus muttered. After that everyone dispersed themselves throughout the ship. Ryan, Matt, and Andy found themselves in a library of sorts.

"What is this place?" They muttered, looking around at all the old books. They opened one up and found themselves unable to read it, since Spirian was so different from English when it came to the alphabet.

"That's the story of three billy goats who want to cross a bridge and get to the grass on the other side, without bein' eatin' by the troll under the bridge." Cid said as he walked in. Matt put the book back on the shelf as Cid walked to the back of the room. "Come here." He said, motioning for them to come. "You kids seem to know things people just don't know anymore. Maybe you can read these here runes. Nobody else can read the damn things."

"What are they for?" Matt asked.

"Well if we knew that we'd have figured out what they meant by now." Cid told him. "But as it stands, they've got us stumped. We can't find anything like them anywhere in Spira." He pulled a book off a bookshelf and handed it to Matt. "All we can do is guess it's important."

"Why's that?" Andy asked.

"Because someone made up an entire alphabet up, and it's unlike anything else in Spira." Cid told them. "You don't do that for some fiend stew, you dimwit." Cid started to leave and Matt opened up the book.

"I've seen this before." He declared. Cid froze in mid step and spun around to face them. "I can't read it, but I know of seen it before." Cid's face dropped.

"Let's see." Matt handed Andy the book. "Oh my god!" He said in a dramatic voice. "It's the Damnable Runes of doom!" He declared. "Let's see… nope, forgot too much of it. Ryan, here. Read, now." He handed Ryan the book. Ryan looked at the first page and nearly burst out laughing.

"What? What'd ya find kid?" Cid demanded.

"Nothing, but I can read it." Cid looked at him in amazement.

"How?" He demanded.

"Well, where we come from, I was an utter loser," he heard Matt and Andy mutter in agreement, "and one of my friends had this awesome book. It had these runes in it, and I got bored one day so I memorized them. And unlike this dumb-ass," He pointed at Andy who smiled and gave a sarcastic bow, "I never forgot them."

"Well then what's it say already?" Cid asked hopefully. Ryan sat down at a nearby desk and looked the page over for several minutes, a smile growing on his face as he did so. He stopped and turned towards Cid.

"You ever heard of some legendary weapons? Or the Omega Ruins?" He asked. Cid's face paled considerably. "Okay, I'll take that as a yes."

"Damn right it's a yes! Everybody's heard about those! They're legends!" He told them. "The legendary weapons are said to be Yu Yevon's gift to the people of Spira. He hid them in random places right before Sin showed up, but the people that knew where they were died, and took the locations with'em. You're tellin' me this here book tells you where they are?"

Ryan looked back at the book for a second and then studied the next page. "And how to get them." He added. "And it also says that they'd be helpful to anyone who decides to try and make it through the Omega Ruins as well."

"Well finish translating the location of those weapons! And how to get them! That's an order!" Cid added before leaving.

"An order?" Ryan repeated to himself.

"That's what the man said." Matt told him. "Now, we'll leave you to your work. Wouldn't want Cid to kill you or anything."

"Ain't that the truth." Ryan muttered. "And get me some paper or something."

"Why?" Andy asked.

"Well, if you don't, this is gonna take a hell of a lot longer." Ryan told him.

"Ah."

"Well then, we'll see you when we've got some paper." Matt said as he and Andy left the room.

"Well then," Ryan muttered, "let's get started."

888

"What do you want?" Cid asked as Tidus walked onto the bridge.

"We need to go to Bevelle. We think Maester Mika knows how to kill Sin!" Tidus told him.

"Well, that's the second best news I've gotten all day." Cid declared.

"Only the second, pops?" Rikku asked, turning in her seat to face Cid. "What's the first?"

"You know that book we couldn't read?" Rikku nodded. "Well, it seems yer boyfriend is good for somethin' after all. He's translating it right now."

"What! Ryan can read that stuff!" Rikku cried in disbelief.

"Fryd? Fryd? (What? What?)" The pilot demanded.

"Ryan lyh nayt tyt'c puug! (Ryan can read dad's book!)" Rikku replied.

"Book? What book?" Tidus asked as Rikku jumped out of her seat, nearly running Auron over as she ran off the bridge.

"Heh. She always was energetic." Cid admitted.

"What did I miss?" Auron wondered aloud.

"Ryan's a book worm." Tidus told him. Auron raised and eyebrow and looked at him, waiting for a further explanation. "He can read one of Cid's books. Everyone's making a big fuss about it."

"That book has the location of the legendary weapons in it, and how to get them, and the location of the Omega Ruins!" Cid informed Auron. The old guardian's eye widened in surprise at the declaration.

"I assume you have him translating it now?" He asked.

"Of course I do! What do you take me for, a fool!" Cid demanded. "Hey, wait!" Auron looked at Cid curiously. "How'd you know it needed to be translated if ya didn't know I had him translating it?"

Auron chuckled a little. "I know a great many things." Was all he said as he walked off the bridge.

"Man, guess it pays to be old…" Matt muttered.

888

"So you can summon Aeons now?" Seph asked Rae sarcastically. He was leaning back in a chair on the other side of the room, his back facing Rae who was lying on the bed. "Man, and I thought I was full of surprises."

"It's not that I didn't want to tell you." Rae whispered. "I just didn't expect to ever do it again, that's all. If I had known that I was going to need to summon Aeons I would've told you."

"So all those comments about not knowing where we were at, they were all just lies?" Seph looked back and saw Rae smiling slightly, apparently enjoying the fact that he hadn't recognized them as lies. "I'll take that as a yes. So, is there anything else that I should know about?"

Rae stood up and motioned for the assassin to follow. She walked out the door and navigated her way through the hallways like she'd been raised in them her entire life. Before he realized where they were going Seph found himself walking onto the bridge.

"It's been a while Cid." Rae said, walking up to the Al Bhed leader who she'd been avoiding. Cid looked over at her and sneered.

"Who let you on?" He demanded, turning to face the girl completely. "I'll make him regret ever being born."

"Namyq umt syh. Oui'mm keja ouincamv y raynd-yddylg (Relax old man. You'll give yourself a heart-attack.)." She told him. Seph's jaw dropped.

"Hey, you told me you only knew the summoning incantations in Al Bhed because they had to be in Al Bhed or they wouldn't work!" She turned and looked at him sadly. "What's wrong now?"

Cid smiled knowingly. "You haven't told him, have you?" Rae shook her head. "You lying whore."

"Shut up!" Rae yelled, spinning on the old Al Bhed. Instantly she found every gun in the room trained on her and took a deep breath to calm down. "It wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"What wouldn't have mattered? What are you lying to me about?" Seph demanded. Rae tilted her head so Seph couldn't see her face and did something to her right eye. When she looked back up he found himself starring into a green eye with a swirl in it. She repeated the process for her left eye, revealing another Al Bhed eye. Seph raised an eyebrow. "What the hell? How'd you change your eyes?"

"Something I came up with when I got kicked out of HOME." Rae told him as she put the thin covers back on her eyes. "I call them contacts."

"That's a neat trick." Seph said admiringly. Cid looked at him oddly. "What?"

"You a Yevonite?" He asked Seph who snorted.

"I should kill you for that." He muttered. "Why the hell would I follow Yevon? I'm an assassin by profession."

"Really now?" Cid asked disbelievingly.

"The best in Spira." Rae told him. Cid sighed and rolled his eyes. "What now? Blood pressure getting to you?"

"Would you stop with the health related insults?" Cid asked. "I'm just amazed by what odd friends my daughter and niece have."

"Well I wouldn't exactly say we're 'friends', Cid." Seph told him. "More like we've got the same goal, so it's just smarter to work together rather then against one another."

"Well, whatever your reason, you're going to need to your sleep." He told the two. "An assassin and an outcast. Rikku, you're an odd child."

"E luimt ryja dumt oui dryd, Vydran. (I could have told you that, Father.)" The pilot said.

"Crid ib. (Shut up.)" Cid snapped. "You two go get your rest. I'll get everyone together when we know where we're going."

"Right." Seph muttered as Rae led the way back to their room. "So, you're really an Al Bhed Summoner who can summon both fiends and Aeons, and not some bar maid that happens to like me?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Man, the women in my life." He muttered. Rae smiled and glanced over her shoulder.

"If you want I could still be the bar maid that happens to like you. I'll just have to be the Al Bhed Summoner who was kicked out of HOME for practicing the Art too." She turned into the room and stretched out on the bed suggestively. "Besides, you know it turns you on."

Seph closed the door and turned back around to find Rae motioning for him to lie on the bed. As he started over she started taking off her shirt and he smiled.

888

"Hey." Rikku whispered in Ryan's ear, wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind him. He stiffened at first, but relaxed when he realized who it was. "Sorry."

Ryan shook his head. "Not your fault. I was just focusing completely on translating this, and not on my surroundings." He told her. Rikku glanced past him to the English translation on the table.

"What's that? I can't read that either." She told him, pointing to his translation.

"That? Well, it's my native alphabet. I don't know the Spirian alphabet, and if you can't read it then I guess it's not the same anyway." He told her. "It's just easier for me to write in English since I've been doing it for so long."

"Oh." Rikku pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. He looked at her oddly. "What?"

"You just gonna sit there?" He asked. She nodded and he shook his head in disbelief. "It's not exactly exciting to watch someone translate something from one language you can't read to another."

"And you would know?" She asked doubtfully.

"Yep. Very well actually."

"Really?" Ryan nodded. "Oh. Well if I'm disturbing you I'll leave…" She said, standing up and pushing the chair in.

"Hey, it was just a question! I didn't mean for you to leave!" Ryan cried, spinning around in his own chair so that he was looking directly at her. She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. "Oh, that is so mean. You're such a tease."

Rikku walked over and sat down on his lap. "Yeah, it's so much fun too." Ryan smiled and spun the chair around. Rikku leaned against his shoulder so that he could still see. "Did you know shoulders are oddly comfortable?"

"Well, a lot of the girls I know have said that. Then again, most were talking about mine, so maybe it's just me." Rikku giggled a little as Ryan went back to the translation.

"Would you two get a room?" Matt asked as he walked in several hours later.

"We already have one." Ryan said without looking up, barely stifling a yawn. "You just happen to walk into it."

"Anyway, Cid needs to talk to Rikku." Matt told them. Rikku muttered something and Ryan turned so she could get up. "He said it was important." He added when Rikku didn't move. "Jeez, is she sleeping?"

Ryan looked at her and smiled. "Yeah, I'd say she's sleeping." He admitted.

"Jeez, how long have you guys been in here?" Matt asked before he looked around. "And what could you do with all that time, alone, in a dark room that nobody goes in."

Matt ducked as a throwing star sailed through the air well over where his head had been. "You have no idea how hard this is to translate." Ryan told him. "I never actually learned all the advanced runes, so I have to translate the rest of the sentence to figure out what some of it means. And then I'm trying to get only the parts we actually need, so I have to read a bunch of it and then go back and translate what's important. You'd be amazed how many words some people can use to say 'use the mirror to open the lock' man, truly amazed."

"How many?" Matt asked, truly curious. Ryan turned slowly and looked at his notes.

"Well, this one's 13… and this one's 15… and that's about the average." Ryan added.

"Long winded people." Matt muttered. "Now, back to the current problem. What do we do about Cid wanting to talk to Rikku?"

Ryan looked at the Al Bhed who was sleeping peacefully on his shoulder, realizing for the first time that her arms were wrapped around him too. "Well, I guess I'll have to take her to her room, or Yuna's, or Lulu's."

"Well, it's late anyway. Whatever we're doing, Cid's gonna want us at our best to do it." Matt declared. "I'll tell him that it's too late. Rikku wasn't the only person who was already asleep." Ryan yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"What time is it?" Matt leaned out the hallway and looked at the cloak.

"Cid said that we ran on military time in here, right?" He asked.

"Right." Ryan agreed.

"3:30 am then." Matt informed him. Ryan looked at him in amazement, then back to his notes. He only had 3 of the weapons translated.

"Wonderful." He said. "I'm gonna need some coffee anyway."

"Why's that?" Matt asked.

"Guess what the first four weapons that were mentioned were." Matt thought about it for a few seconds before shrugging. "Lightning Edge, The Twin Fire Starters, The Forty Diamonds of Water, and Wind Cutter." Matt's face dropped.

"So if the rest of the legendary weapons are in there, then they're probably as strong as ours?" Ryan nodded, having thought the same thing himself.

"There was something else that you might want to know about." Ryan added. He flipped back several pages and looked his new page over several times. "Ah, here it is!" He declared. "Frozen Wood. That's the name of the ice god's weapon."

"You're not sure whether we should tell anyone, right?" Matt asked. Ryan nodded.

"I mean, the ice god's still back on earth. Who knows when we'll find him, and then when we'll find the portal. Carrying whatever that is around on Earth, who knows what could happen."

"Yeah. I know what you mean. Just pocket the information. We'll hold onto it until we need it." Matt reasoned.

"Aye, I've already done that. I just wanted to know whether you thought we should tell anyone else."

"No, most definitely not. Now if you'll excuse me, sleep is good." Matt said before bowing and walking down the hallway to his room. Ryan yawned, picked Rikku up carefully and wandered into the hallway. The identical hallways on the ship screwed him up, making him think he was in one while he was really in the other.

'I'm worse then I thought.' Ryan thought as he finally found Rikku's room. He walked over to the bed and lowered her into it gently. He shivered and stole the extra blanket at the end of her bed after he covered Rikku in her own blanket. He walked out of the hallway and found Auron watching him.

"Not going to stay with her?" He asked. Ryan shook his head and yawned.

"Don't you sleep?" He asked.

"Not really." Auron admitted. "So, you really aren't doing anything more then kissing, are you?" Ryan's look told Auron that he was coming close to offending him. "I see. That's what Cid was worried about."

"That's why he wanted to see her. I get it now." Ryan yawned and started towards the bridge absently.

"Where are you going?"

"Well he wants an answer, right?" Ryan asked without stopping. "Besides, I can smell coffee from over here."

"Hey, boy. Get over here!" Cid ordered as soon as he saw Ryan walk onto the bridge. Ryan walked over quietly, wrapped in the blanket he'd taken from Rikku's room.

"You don't happen to have any coffee do you?" He asked. Cid grumbled but pointed to a small dispenser over in the corner. Ryan walked over and poured himself a cup, added some cream and sugar, and walked back. "Ok, what's up?"

"Are you fucking my daughter?" Ryan's coffee sprayed out and covered Cid from mid chest up. He wiped the coffee off of his head and glared at Ryan who was now laughing. "You are, aren't you!" Cid demanded, grabbing Ryan by the front of his shirt and lifting him off the ground.

Ryan wiped a tear away from his eye. "What the hell do you take me for?" He asked in between small fits of laughter. Cid continued to glare at him but did allow Ryan to stand on his own feet.

"I didn't think you were. But hear me kid. I ever find out you are, and you're not 21, I'm gonna kick your ass so bad Rikku'll think you're a girl, got it?" Ryan nodded and Cid smiled. "Well then, now that we're passed that, get back to your translations!"

"Will do, captain coffee." Ryan said with a mock salute. "Just need to grab some more coffee. I'm not sleeping until I'm done this thing."

"Well, a kid with a good work ethic. Didn't think I'd see that for a long time."

"It's not so much a good work ethic as it is curiosity." Cid looked at him oddly. "I've got a few of the weapons translated, and now I'm curious to see where the others are."

"Curiosity killed the cat kid."

"Maybe. But for a while I was the main suspect." Ryan said as he left with a laugh. Cid shook his head at the bad joke and went back to managing the ship.

'Maybe he ain't so bad after all.'

888

Rikku woke up and found herself in her bed rather then on Ryan's shoulder. She walked out of the room and went to the bridge. "Rikku, morning." Rae called from a few doors down the hall. Rikku turned, still half asleep, and waved lazily. "Not a morning person?" Rae asked through a yawn. Rikku raised and eyebrow and Rae pointed to her hair and hand Rikku a small mirror. Rikku broke out in laughter at the sight of her bed head, Rae joining in at the sight of her own.

"Morning pops." Rikku greeted Cid as the two walked onto the bridge. Cid looked at her like she was a ghost. "What?"

"It ain't even seven o'clock yet. You never get up this early." He told her. Rikku glanced at the clock and shook her head.

"Times are changing pops. We'd normally be on the move again by now." She told him.

"Really? They managed to wake your lazy carcass up?" Rikku rolled her eyes. "Man, that Auron must be a slave driver."

"Really?" Auron asked, walking onto the bridge.

"If you can wake her up in the mornings then yes damn it! I can't even wake her up!" Cid said with a laugh. Rikku giggled a little and hid her embarrassment by turning and pouring herself and Rae cups of coffee.

"Jeez, what's with all the yelling?" Matt demanded. "Ever heard of a thing called sleep? Yeah? Well some of us are trying to get it. And Ryan just got to sleep."

"You mean he's done!" Cid asked excitedly. Matt held out several sheets of paper. Cid took them eagerly and looked at them before turning back to Matt. "What's this crap? I can't even read it!"

"That's why I'm here. Ryan woke my ass up so that I could read it and someone else could write it down in Spirian." Cid looked at him, clearly confused about the roundabout route.

"Why didn't he just write it in Spirian?" The Al Bhed leader asked.

"You seem to forget that we're not from Spira." Matt told him. "We don't know the Spirian alphabet or the Al Bhed alphabet." Cid growled in frustration but didn't say anything else.

"You made my boyfriend stay up until seven o'clock in the morning to translate something?" Rikku demanded.

"I didn't make him do nothin'." Cid said defensively. "He's the one that decided to stay up. He was here just an hour ago getting more coffee. Looked like hell too."

"He'd been up for more then a day you know…" Matt said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Cid looked at him oddly. "He gets up at 4:30 in the morning. Damn morning people."

"Man dad. He wakes up 'bout the same time as you." Rikku commented.

"Yep. That's why we always woke up to him and Auron sparring." Matt added. "Cause Auron didn't think he was good enough."

"What are we talking about?" Andy mumbled as he shambled onto the bridge.

"Morning Andy." Matt greeted, handing his friend his cup of coffee. "You look like you could use this." Andy took the coffee gratefully.

"No, seriously. What were you guys talking about?" Andy asked.

"The ethics of having Ryan stay up all night to translate what we need from that book." Rae explained. "Whatever book that is."

"Ah, the one with all the runes?" Matt nodded. "He actually finished it?" Cid held up the papers he'd taken from Matt.

"Yeah. He also just got to sleep." Matt added.

"Poor kid." Andy glanced over at Cid. "You should be ashamed. Making a kid stay up so late. And we thought Auron was a slave driver."

"I'm not a damn slave driver!" Cid yelled. "I never said he had to translate it all in one night! If you don't believe me I'll go wake his ass up and he can tell ya himself!"

"Pops, remember your blood pressure!" Rikku warned. Cid's face turned red and Rae giggled a little. "Besides, you think he'd even be able to talk? Matt said he just got to sleep, right?"

"So?" Cid demanded.

"Can you talk with only an hour of sleep?" Rikku asked.

"I've yet to go to sleep these past three days." Cid said dryly. Everyone looked at him like he was utterly insane. "What? I've gotta make sure this rig is runin' right, don't I?"

"Sleep is good." Matt muttered. "Lack of sleep drives people insane after a while."

"So that's what's up with dad." Cid gave his daughter an annoyed look.

"Kids these days. No respect for their elders." He muttered before turning back to running the ship. The kids laughed at his comment before dispersing throughout the ship. A few hours later Tidus walked in and found everyone on the bridge excited.

"What's up?" he asked as Yuna and Kimahri walked in.

"I just had a great idea!" Wakka told them.

"It was my idea. Let me tell them!" Rikku demanded.

"It's like this ya?"

Rikku stepped in Wakka's way and cut him off, "I just thought--"

"The Hymn is the key." Lulu said, cutting Rikku off. Rikku and Wakka glared at her.

"The Hymn?" Tidus asked, confused.

"Sir Jecht likes the Hymn of the Fayth, correct?" Tidus nodded.

"That's why he was listening to it in Macalania!" Rikku added.

"Sin… violence incarnated, listening peacefully." Lulu said quietly.

"I know it's your old man, and I don't mean no disrespect, but…" Wakka trailed off.

"No, it's fine." Tidus told him. "I've gotten used to it."

"Let me say it." Lulu said, stepping forward. "If we attack Sin head-on, we have little chance of winning. However, if he hears the Hymn of the Fayth, he will become docile."

"Yeah, and that's when we make our move!" Wakka said energetically. "Might be against the rules and all, but who's keeping track, ya? Ya?"

"Yeah! It could really work!" Rikku agreed.

"Yeah… Yeah, it's worth a try!" Tidus agreed.

"Well, that sounds like a plan to me! My baby here'll take us anywhere we want!" Cid announced proudly.

"Bevelle then!" Tidus declared. "We're going to talk to Maester Mika!"

"Ymnekrd! Du Bevelle puoc! (Alright! To Bevelle boys!)" Cid yelled to the crew, who cheered in response.

"Let's go get Ryan." Tidus started to walk off the bridge but Auron's shoulder stopped him.

"Let him sleep."

"Yeah, he's only been asleep for a few hours!" Rikku told him.

"Wha? Why?"

"Cause Cid's a slave driver." Matt said sarcastically. Cid rolled his eyes as his daughter joined in the laughter.

"Matt." The teenage god turned to face Auron. "Go get Seph and Rae."

"Why the hell would you wanna bring those two along?" Cid demanded.

"Would you rather we left them with you?" Auron countered simply.

"Good point, go get'em kid." Cid agreed.

"Damn you all! Making me work." Matt complained as he walked off the bridge. "Andy, get your lazy ass up. We're getting ready to leave." Matt told his friend from the doorway of his room. Andy mumbled something about burning him alive but stood up and starred at him blankly.

"Where the hell are we going?" He asked.

"Back to Bevelle. Without Ryan though." Matt added immediately.

"Why without Ryan?"

"He's only gotten a few hours of sleep. He stayed up until a little before 7 to finish translating that stupid book, remember? And when did you go back to sleep?"

Andy glanced over at the digital clock on the wall. "Bout a half hour ago."

"What were you doing until then?"

"Walked around aimlessly." Andy stated. "What did you do?"

"Pretty much the same thing." Matt admitted. "Anyway, lets go. We're going to get Rae Seph."

"Why?"

"Auron said to." Matt explained. He walked out the door, not really caring whether or not Andy followed. He found the door and knocked.

"Come on in." Seph called. Matt opened the door and found an empty room.

"What the hell? Seph, what the fuck? Stop screwing around. We're going to Bevelle." Seph dropped down from directly over the door, scaring the crap out of Matt. "Jeez, if you were anyone else, I'd kick your ass right now."

"Ah, but I'm not someone else. I'm Seph." The assassin said with a grin.

"Yeah, don't remind me." Matt muttered as he turned and started back down the hallway.

"You're an idiot." Seph told him, easily catching up.

"Why, 'cause I turned my back on an assassin? Or because I turned my back on an ally?" Matt asked without stopping.

"Once an assassin, always an assassin." Seph warned him. "And one day, I'll kill you. Remember that."

Matt smiled at the challenge. "We'll see how that plays out when we get there. Why don't we worry about killing Sin for the moment, hmmm?"

"So why are we going to Bevelle if we wanna fight Sin?"

"Dunno, just letting you know what I know." Seph looked at Matt oddly.

"There is power in secrets you know."

"Not when we're all working towards the same goal there isn't. Besides, Ryan just translated an entire book of information that only me, him, and Andy can read."

"And how do you know that?" Seph questioned.

"Well, we don't come from Spira, we can't read Spirian. Ryan translated all the runes using the alphabet we grew up with." Matt and Seph both smiled.

"Well, I guess you're not as dumb as you look at times."

"I'd hate to disappoint you."

"I'd hate for you to disappoint me too." Seph admitted. "Lately, I haven't had any challenging targets. It's been getting a little boring. You and your friends though, damn that's gonna be a fun fight."

"Only for the winning side. It won't be anything for the losers."

"You know, for someone I'm gonna kill sometime, you're ok." Matt smiled at Seph's comment.

"I do only what I can."

"That so?" Seph asked as they walked into the bridge.

"Ask Ryan." Matt suggested. Seph turned to head towards the boy's room but found himself starring at Auron's neck. "What do you want, one eye?"

"We go to Bevelle." Auron said simply.

"Actually you've gotta go that way." Rikku told the oldest guardian. Auron looked to Cid, who nodded confirmation, and then stepped aside and let a glaring Seph pass. Rae and Rikku passed Seph in the hallways, leading the group through the ship.

"Alright everyone!" Cid's voice cracked through the airships intercom and hour later. "We're goin' in!"

"Finally." Matt said with a sigh of relief. "I was starting to think that Ryan was gonna wake up before we even got there."

"Well, let's get this over with." Rae muttered, surprising everyone by walking over and dropping out of the cargo bay of the air ship, one of a rope in her hand. As she fell a Zu appeared below her, cushioning her fall the way Valefor had done for Yuna last time they'd been in Bevelle. When she landed she wrapped the rope around her hand a couple of times, gave it a good yank, and motioned for everyone to come down.

"Well, that's not the Rae I'm used to seeing." Seph admitted as he jumped onto the rope. He slid down the rope with ease, landing next to Rae without a sound. Yuna summoned Valefor to carry her and Lulu down, much to the dismay of Wakka and Tidus who followed them down on the rope. Auron and Kimahri went down next, and then Rikku, Matt, and Andy brought up the rear. "So we're looking for that bastard Mika, right?"

"Yes." Auron started to walk down the bridge only to be stopped by a few guards.

"Infidels!" One of the guards yelled. With surprising coordination they all leveled their guns at the group.

"Are you for real?" Matt wondered in amazement.

"Man, don't these guys ever give up?" Wakka questioned no one in particular.

"You'll all regret showing your faces here!" The same guard yelled again, this time sounding more confident with the backing of more soldiers. "We'll strike you down in the name of Yevon!"

"Try it." Matt said just loud enough for everyone to hear. The guard looked at him oddly as he stepped forward. "What's wrong? I said try it. Try to kill me. I bet you not one of you is even a good enough shot to hit me, let alone kill me." By now Andy and Seph were standing next to him. "Well?"

"Die traitors!" The soldier yelled, emptying his entire clip on the three. Fire, lightning, and water burst into life, stopping each bullet easily. "What?" The entire group started to mutter as they reloaded their guns. Shelinda appeared, cast a horrified glance at the massive amount of bullets at the feet of the three gods, and turned to the soldiers who were preparing to fire.

"Stop!" she yelled. Instantly every head in the group turned to face her.

"Captain?" The guard asked in a clearly confused voice.

"Lady Yuna is not to be harmed!" Shelinda declared. "She' no traitor! That is an evil rumor spread by the Al Bhed!"

"What?" Rikku gasped in surprise.

"That's low, even for Yevon." Rae added with quiet rage.

"Maester Mika told me himself." Shelinda told the men who were watching her doubtfully.

"Then what… are we to do?" one of the soldiers asked.

"You could start by standing down." Matt suggested.

"As he says." Shelinda agreed. The soldiers nodded, saluted her, and then went back to their patrols.

"What was that about evil Al Bhed?" Rikku questioned as soon as they were gone.

"Yeah, I'd like to know that too." Rae agreed.

"I… truly, I do not understand it myself. All of Yevon seems to be in confusion." Shelinda's voice was full of obvious sadness. "Why yesterday they came out of the blue and made me captain of the guard!"

"Well there's a shock." Seph agreed.

"Short on believers?" Auron's tone sounded almost sarcastic.

"Yes, the chaos in the temples is worse then I'd imagined. It's horrible. And all the priests do is blame each other. I worry what will become of Yevon." The words made Matt and Andy feel sick to their stomach. Even though they'd only been in Spira a short period of time they'd developed a silent hatred of even the word Yevon. "But no! I must be the rock that stands against the swirling tides, right? Lady Yuna, I must tell you, your courage has been a great inspiration to me." Yuna blushed a little at the compliment.

"Yeah, that's great, but we came here to see Maester Mika." Tidus told the new captain of the guard. "Is he here?"

"Yes, I shall arrange an audience." Shelinda told them. "Please wait in the courtyard." She left in a hurry to find the Maester.

"Hey, hey, wait!" Rikku called after her. "What was all that about Al Bhed lying and stuff?" A small lightning bolt slammed into the ground a few feet away from Rikku. Despite the fact that it was barely strong enough to leave a black mark on the concrete Rikku practically curled up into a little ball. "Stop it you jerk!"

"What?" Matt asked, making very little effort to hide his enjoyment as every face in the group gave him an annoyed look. Except for Andy, who seemed to enjoy it as well; Auron, who didn't seem to care either way; Kimahri, who really didn't care so long as it was Rikku and not Yuna; and Seph, who simply watched with a bored gaze.

"It's simple, Rikku." Auron said, breaking the awkward silence. "Yuna has become Mika's only hope."

"Oh… okay" Rikku said, standing up and glaring at Matt who smiled even more.

"Just what does he think he can get away with?" Lulu wondered aloud, annoyance showing in her voice.

"Time to teach him some manners!" Tidus declared.

"Yes," Yuna agreed, "let's."

"Well then, follow me." Seph said, taking up the lead. He led the group to the courtyard, which was simply a couple hundred feet in front of him.

"That, was really, really stupid Seph." Matt said. Seph raised an eyebrow at his comment. "Any of us could've done that. It was a straight line." Seph shrugged as Maester Mika walked into the courtyard. When he first saw them his eyes widened in surprise, then they narrowed with rage as he stomped towards the group.

"Why are you here!" He demanded without making any attempt to disguise his anger. "You must go and defeat Sin, quickly! You have obtained the Final Aeon from Yunalesca, have you not?"

"Well, we did meet her." Tidus admitted.

"We fought and defeated her." Yuna clarified. Instantly Mika's face flushed with rage and horror.

"What!" He demanded.

"Summoners and their guardians will be sacrificed for the Final Aeon no more." Auron's voice held a hint of joy in it.

"You have profaned and subverted a thousand year-old tradition? You fools! Infants!" Mika was practically yelling by now, but oddly no one had come into the courtyard yet. "Do you realize what you have done? You've taken away the only means of calming Sin!"

"Hey, maybe that's not the only way! We think we've got another!" Tidus told the Maester happily. Mika's resolve seemed to waver for a second.

"Why…" Apparently Mika realized he faltering, a fact that made him even more cross, " Preposterous! There is no other way!"

"The Grand Maester, running away?" Auron questioned the Maester in a taunting voice. Everyone but Seph and Rae gave Auron an amazed look.

"Spira has lost its only hope. Destruction is inevitable." Mika whispered sadly. "Yu Yevon's spiral of death will consume us all. I have no desire to watch Spira die."

"It won't die!" Yuna told him so firmly that his eyes widened with hope for a second.

"Who is this Yu Yevon guy?" Tidus asked. Matt and Andy glanced at each other but said nothing.

"Lady Yunalesca also mentioned him." Lulu added.

"Wait, gramps! Who's Yu Yevon?" Rikku pleaded with Maester Mika as he started to become pyreflies.

"He who crafts the souls of the dead into unholy armor. An armor called Sin." Mika told them. "Clad in it, Yu Yevon is invincible. And the only thing that could've pierced that armor, you have destroyed! Nothing can stop him now!"

"The final summoning isn't the only thing that can pierce his armor." Matt said bluntly. Mika sneered at him. "A god can always pierce another gods armor, right Andy?" He nodded. "Seph, what do you think? You're Spira's top assassin, do we have a chance?"

Seph shrugged. "Who knows? But I'll be damned to the Farplane if we aren't gonna give it a hell of a shot." As he finished Mika disappeared completely.

"Disappear on us? You rotten son of a shoopuf!" Wakka yelled into the empty courtyard as Shelinda reappeared.

"Where… where is the Grand Maester?" she asked.

"He, um…" Yuna was horrible at lying so Auron stepped forward.

"He's not here yet. How long must we wait?" He demanded of the girl.

"That's odd… I'll go look for his Grace." Shelinda told them.

"Okay." Yuna said to nothing but air.

"Who you talking to?" Wakka asked.

"Oh. Uh, no one." Tidus lied.

"I must go see the Fayth." Yuna told everyone.

'At least she's not trying to lie.' Matt thought as the two left. The group sat in silence until the two returned. Unfortunately Shelinda returned at the same time.

"I'm afraid the Grand Maester is nowhere to be found." She told the group.

"S'okay, we were just leaving." Tidus told the girl.

"Oh, I see." Shelinda said sadly.

"Hey! Maybe you could help us with the Hymn!" Rikku said suddenly.

"Hey, good idea!" Tidus agreed.

"It's like this," Rikku said to the captain of the guard, "we need you to tell as many people as you can."

"What should I tell them?" Shelinda asked in a determined voice.

"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth. When they hear it, we need everyone to sing along."

"Everyone in Spira!" Wakka added to Rikku's explination.

"I'm not sure I understand." Shelinda said more then a little reluctantly.

"In the name of Yevon…" Seph muttered, turning and walking off to get away from the Yevonite.

"You don't have to! Just tell everyone!" Rikku said, ignoring Seph's comment.

"A ship in the sky will sing the Hymn of the Fayth?" Rikku nodded. "So when they hear it, everyone should sing along, correct?"

"If they do, we might be able to defeat Sin!" Tidus added in.

Shelinda nearly fainted. "Truly?"

"Yes." Yuna confirmed.

"That's wonderful! You can count on me! I shall tell all of Spira!" Shelinda pledged.

"At least she's energetic." Matt muttered to Andy as the group walked back to the airship. Rae, Lulu, and Yuna flew up while the guys climbed up the rope ladder. "Only problem now is what do we do about the legendary weapons that Ryan translated. Think we should go and find them without him? I mean that took what, an entire twenty minutes?"

"Well it wouldn't be very intelligent to have someone along that'd just slow us down." Seph reasoned. "I vote for leaving him here."

"Sound, if harsh, logic." Matt admitted. "Besides, Ryan's a pain in the ass to wake up. Leave'em here."

"I don't care either way." Andy admitted.

"He'll need his rest." Auron declared. "We leave him sleep."

"Auron, did you know you're a lot like a dictator?" Auron didn't reply and Matt nodded. "Yeah, thought so."

"Where's the first weapon?" Seph asked, suddenly feeling rather annoyed at the group's lack focus.

"Lemme see here…" Matt said as he reached into his pocket. "Damn, Cid still has them."

"Here." Cid told him, coming into the cargo hatch. "I couldn't make heads or tails of this crap."

"Guess it's a good thing we're here after all, eh Andy?" Matt said as he took the papers from Andy. "Looks like the first weapon is something called… the cloudy mirror?" Matt raised an eyebrow and continued to read. "Oh, ok. Sorry, the key to getting the weapons is the cloudy mirror."

"And where's that?" Tidus asked.

"Says it's at Remiem Temple in the calm lands. Here, there's a little picture to go along with it." Matt said, handing the page to Rikku who was next to him.

"Hey! I know where that cliff is!" Rikku declared. "That's where me and Ryan got in the calm lands. Then we had to leave though."

"And I know a lady that can get us up there!" Tidus added. Everyone looked at him with impressed looks.

"Well, you aren't totally useless outside of a fight after all." Matt's sarcasm was rewarded with the group breaking into laughter.

"So to the calm lands then?" Cid asked. Tidus nodded and the Al Bhed disappeared, sprinting down to the bridge. He was barking out orders before he was even there, and before long the group was in the calm lands.

"Man, it's almost nine. When's Ryan gonna wake up?" Matt wondered as he dropped the rope ladder down. They left the airship and Tidus took up the lead. He constantly changed direction, but eventually the group understood why.

"Hey, it's you!" The Chocobo trainer said, waving to Tidus as she rode over. "What can I do for ya? Wanna train a Chocobo?"

"Actually we need a favor." Tidus said. "We need to borrow some Chocobo."

"How many do you need?" The woman asked. Tidus turned around, counted up the group and turned back to face her.

"We'll need seven." Tidus told her.

"But you've got eleven people."

"We can double up." Tidus said instantly. "And we wouldn't want to take all of your Chocobo from you."

"Well, if you really only want seven…" The woman gave seven sharp whistles, each one slightly different then the others. Almost immediately seven Chocobo came tearing across the calm lands towards them. "Well, here you go. They'll find their way back if you leave'em alone for too long, ok?" Tidus nodded. "Well, take care."

"Thank you." Yuna said as the Chocobo trainer rode off. "She's very nice."

"Yeah." Tidus agreed as he hopped onto his Chocobo. He held out a hand and helped Yuna up. It was tight squeeze for them to both fit in the small saddle, but they managed better then Matt, Andy, or Kimahri did.

Matt and Andy couldn't get the their rides to stop jumping, and Andy went flying off and to the ground multiple times before they finally calmed down. Kimahri had it the worst though. Every time he even came near his ride it ran away. After several minutes of chasing it he managed to grab the reins and slow it to a stop. He got into the saddle on the first try, but the Chocobo freaked out and bolted off. Kimahri roared and jumped off the thing, electing to walk instead of deal with the hassle of calming his mount down.

"Okay, follow me everyone!" Rikku said cheerfully as she took up the lead. It didn't take long for the group to reach the cliff that Ryan had drawn, especially since Matt's ride freaked out at the sight of a fiend and took off towards it at full speed. It actually jumped the fifteen-foot high wall in its terror. By the time everyone else had tried and then failed to copy the feat, and then had gone and jumped a gap to reach him, Matt was laying down in the grass, looking up at the sky lazily.

"It just says that it is at the temple somewhere." He said as his friend approached. "Let's go."

"It's been quite a while since I've been here." Rae muttered as she took up the lead. "It was a long time ago, but I don't remember her saying anything about a special mirror being here."

"Her?" Yuna's question brought a smile to Rae's face.

"You'll have to wait and find out yourself. I think you'll be surprised, since you've probably seen her around several times before. Most Summoners do." The group followed Rae into the temple where they were greeted by a familiar face.

"Lady Yuna. It is good to see you!"

"Lady Belgemine!" Yuna gasped. "How have you been?"

"I have been fine. But what of your Aeons? Have they gotten any stronger?" Belgemine wondered aloud. "Rae? Is that you?"

"Hey, it's been awhile. You're still holed up in here I see." Rae commented. "And you still haven't gotten around to redecorating since the last time I was here."

Belgemine chuckled. "I get the oddest feeling you did not come to test yourself again, did you?"

"No. We came to find some kind of magical mirror… what was it called?"

"Said the cloudy mirror according to Ryan's translations." Matt informed her.

"Oh, that old thing? Why, that's the prize for beating the champion Chocobo in a race!" The entire group looked at her like she was crazy. "Surely you saw the prize Chocobo as you came in. It would have been on your left."

"That was the legendary Chocobo?" Seph asked with a raised eyebrow. Belgemine nodded. "And where exactly is the racing track?"

"Below the temple." Belgemine told him. When you leave the temple turn to your left and you will find another Chocobo. Ride the challenger and make it to the bottom first and there will be a treasure chest. In that chest is the cloudy mirror."

"Thanks Belgemine!" Rae said, already halfway to the door. "I'll bring Yuna back later, so rest up!"

"Bring me back? Why?" Yuna asked.

"Don't worry about it. I'll explain it later." Rae assured her friend. "Right now we've got some legendary weapons to get."

"Right. And I'm gonna take that champion Chocobo down!" Tidus added with his usual enthusiasm.

"Who said anything about letting this jock ride?" Seph demanded.

"Would you two give it a rest? You can both try then!" Matt complained. "My god, I hate kids."

"I'm older then you dude." Tidus told him.

"Only physically…"

"What's that mean, Matt?" Tidus demanded.

"Whatever your limited brain power can come up with for a meaning." The lightning god replied.

"Well I know for a fact that I'm not a kid." Seph said with a sigh. "I'm older then Tidus is."

"Really? Well Ryan's older then either of us." Andy pointed out, motioning from himself to Matt.

"He certainly doesn't look it…" Rae stated.

"It's only by a few days. Six for me, and seven for Andy." Matt explained.

"Alright! Here I go!" Tidus told the group as he jumped onto the challenging Chocobo and it trotted onto the track happily. "Wish me luck everyone!"

"Good luck!" Yuna yelled as the race began. "Think he can win?" She asked Rae, Lulu, and Rikku.

"Well, other then Seph, he's probably the only person that's ever ridden a Chocobo out of all of us. If they can't win, we're not getting this mirror." Rae stated in a bored voice.

"You don't sound worried." Matt noted.

"Should I be? I mean, it's not like we need the weapons. It'd just be nice to have them, right?" Matt nodded. "And it'd be better to not be able to get the mirror now, then not be able to use the weapons after we go through all the work of getting them, right?"

"Gotta love that line of thought." Matt muttered from behind the translations. "But it looks like we're going to have to go to Macalania to get something called the Celestial Mirror after this."

"Hey, the race is about to start!" Yuna said excitedly. The sound of the gates opening brought everyone's attention to Tidus. His Chocobo flew out of the starting gate, jumping over it rather then waiting for it to open completely. As soon as it landed on the other side of the gate it took off, jumping from level to level rather then running the race straight through.

"Heh, I wonder if Tidus is the smart one, or of it is the Chocobo." Seph questioned aloud as Tidus got off the insane Chocobo shakily. Several seconds later the champion reached the bottom of the race track, panting and obviously exhausted. "Well, guess we don't have to worry about not getting the cloudy mirror."

"No, just getting the Celestial Mirror." Everyone looked at Matt oddly.

"Explain." Auron ordered.

"Well, Ryan says that the only way to reach the Celestial Mirror is to climb a bridge of light in Macalania woods. I dunno about any of you, but we went all over the place in Macalania woods, and I didn't see any bridge of light." Matt commented.

"Interesting…" Andy muttered.

"Well, guess we'll just have to wait and see what we've got to do to find this here bridge of light, right?" Rae said happily as Tidus started back up towards them, his Chocobo running this time.

When Tidus arrived they gave him a few minutes alone, and heard several rather disgusting sounds. "Guess the ride was a little much for him." Seph said jokingly as Tidus caught up with the group.

"Hey, it's not my fault! I'm a pretty good rider, that thing was just insane!" Tidus stated in his own defense.

The group reached Macalania woods twenty minutes later. "Okay, now does it say anything about where the bridge is supposed to be?" Seph asked. Matt looked at Ryan's notes for a few seconds then shook his head. "Wonderful."

"Split up and search." Auron ordered as he and Tidus walked off in a random direction.

"Hey, what' in the name of Spira is that!" Rikku cried. Everyone looked at her, and then followed her gaze into the treetops above them. Sure enough there was a strip of light glowing softly in the dark forest. "Is that it?"

"Must be. Good work." Matt said as he started to make his way through the forest, constantly glancing up to make sure that the path wasn't turning. When they'd gone almost completely through the forest they found a couple standing at the spot where the bridge met the ground, and they didn't even notice the large group until Yuna greeted.

"Hello. We apologize, Lady Summoner. It's just that our son ran up this thing when it appeared, but we're terrified to follow him." The woman explained.

"Well, we're heading up there anyway." Matt mumbled as he started up the path. He heard the couple gasp in shock. "Well, anyone else coming or am I doing this alone."

"Only if you don't start walking." Seph said from behind him. Matt smiled and started walking again. When he reached the top the path widened enough for Seph to stand next to him without the risk of one of them falling off the edge of the bridge.

"Well, there's the kid." Seph said, pointing off to a part of the path that split off to the left of the main path up ahead.

"Hey! You there!" Tidus yelled, waving to the kid who waved back. He stepped carefully around Matt and Seph and rushed over to the kid, the rest of his friends following behind at a leisurely pace. "Your parents are worried about you. You should go back down and see them." The kid thought about Tidus' suggestion for a minute before shrugging and running off. "Ok Matt, now what?"

"I dunno. I just says that we would get the Celestial Mirror if we brought the cloudy mirror here." Matt replied helplessly. "But it does mention a crystal once. Doesn't say why it's important, or if we even need it."

"Hey, this is crystal!" Rikku declared. The group turned and found her standing next to one of the giant spherical crystal that looked a lot like a giant plant bud. Tidus ran up and looked at the crystal closely.

"Tidus, your pocket is glowing." Tidus looked down and found that Seph was right. He reached into the pocket and pulled out the cloudy mirror. It emitted a bright flash. When the light faded the group found that the cloudy mirror was no longer cloudy. Instead it was a normal mirror that gave off a slight aura. "Well, now that that is done, can we be going?"

"Only if it's back to the Calm Lands." Matt said, already heading down the path.

"I'm really starting to dislike the Calm Lands, did you know that? Why do we have to go back there anyway?" Seph demanded.

"2 of the weapons are there, that's why." Matt replied without slowing down. Twenty minutes later the group found themselves back in the calm lands. "Okay, now one should be in the upper northwest. Says there's a narrow pathway that leads down into the gorge. Then there is one over in the east. Says it's through a crack in the wall."

"East one is closer, it's got my vote." Andy declared, everyone agreeing quickly. Five minutes after Tidus had flagged down the Chocobo trainer and borrowed some more Chocobo for them, the group found itself standing outside of something called the monster arena.

"Welcome! Welcome! Come to test yourselves against the monsters I've collected?" An old man asked as he came out of the building that was built into the side of the wall.

"Actually we were wondering if you'd seen anything stranger around." Seph corrected. "Specifically weapons, or something that you couldn't open."

"Now that you mention it I did find a treasure chest that wouldn't open. No lock or anything, but nobody can open it. Hang on a moment and I'll go get it." The man returned with a long, thin chest. "Here you go. It's all yours if you can get it to open up."

"Now what, Matt?" Tidus asked. Matt glanced down at the paper.

"Use the Celestial Mirror." Matt told him. "It should open up." Tidus nodded and held the mirror out. The sound of a lock opening drifted along on the breeze that picked up rather suddenly, but nothing visible happened.

"Well that didn't work." Seph muttered dejectedly. "Now what are you doing, Tidus?" The blitz ace was examining the chest, smiling slightly. Without answering he lifted the top of the chest effortlessly, and produced a long staff with a phoenix on the top of it.

"I think that this might be Yuna's." Tidus said as he handed the staff to the Summoner. She nodded and took it carefully, and the staff gave off a soft light that surrounded her for a second before disappearing.

"Well then, on to the next one!" Rae and Tidus suggested at the same time, despite the fact that the group was already filtering out of the area and back to the Chocobo.

"Okay, now to the northwest section." Matt told everyone. They rode for ten minutes and found their way blocked by a guard.

"We need to get back there." Seph told the guard flatly. The guard looked like he was going to reply, but level gazes from Seph and Auron stopped any comment he was going to make. He stepped to the side instantly, his face as pale as a piece of paper. Tidus ran down the slope alone. There was another odd wind that carried the sound of a lock opening, followed by a soft glow that only lasted for a second. Unlike Tidus' cry of joy, which echoed loudly in the gorge.

"I'm gonna guess that one was his." Rikku pointed out with a laugh as Tidus rejoined the group with a large smile and a blue sword that looked more like a decoration than a weapon. "Where to now?" Matt looked at the paper and gave her an evil grin. "Uh-oh. This can't be good."

"Sure it can." He declared. "Next one is called the Spirit Lance."

"Oh, is it on the Farplane!" Rikku asked, thinking she'd gotten it right.

"No." Matt said slowly, still smiling. "It's in the Thunder Plains." Rikku's face dropped. "Well, no time to waste, let's go." Rikku laughed nervously as they called for Cid to land.

"Well, where to now?" The Al Bhed leader demanded.

"Thunder Plains." Matt said without hesitation.

"No can do kid." Cid told him. Rikku sighed in relief and Matt frowned. "Thunder storm's too dangerous to land in. I'll have to drop you off in Guadosalam."

"That works." Matt declared as Rikku slumped to the ground.

"Something wrong Rikku?" Rae asked, noticing the unusually down expression that Rikku was wearing.

"I hate thunder." Rikku admitted.

"Oh, that's it." Rae said, understanding fully. "Guess you and me are staying here then." Rikku looked at her thankfully. "Well I wouldn't want to leave you all alone with Cid when your boyfriend's too tired to get up. It's not even 10 yet."

15 minutes later the group, minus Ryan, Rikku, and Rae, found themselves dropping into Guadosalam, much to the amazement and horror of the Guado. Matt and Tidus had been given devices, that reminded Matt and Andy more then a little of com-links, to call Cid when they were ready to be picked up.

Five minutes after that the group was dashing from cover to cover to, minus Matt who calmly walked through the storm, ignoring the bolts of lightning that struck all around him. "We have to find a stone with a Qactuar on it!" He yelled, shivering at the thought of the annoying, agile little monsters. More then once he'd missed with a lightning spell, something that had made him exceedingly annoyed. About ten minutes later a roar from Kimahri brought everyone running to the powerful Ronso's side.

"Way to go lil' boy blue." Andy congratulated, noticing the stone with a glowing Qactuar on it immediately. He turned to Matt, "Now what?"

Matt shrugged. "Either Ryan missed that part or--"

"Look!" Yuna pointed above the stone were the barely visible form of a Qactuar was visible. As soon as everyone was looking at it the specter took off.

"Wonderful." Matt muttered, taking off after it at full speed. It lead them on a short chase that lasted almost fifteen minutes. When it finally disappeared the group found themselves standing in front of an incomplete lightning tower. Matt looked down at the paper then back at the tower. "Looks like we're here."

Tidus took the lead and started towards the tower. A lightning bolt struck the tower, stopping the blitzer in his tracks momentarily. "Over here." Auron called to the group. He pointed to a chest that a second, much smaller lightning bolt had uncovered. It was as long as Yuna's had been, but was also a little fatter. Tidus held the Celestial Mirror up to it, and a gentle breeze picked up. The sound of a lock turning came, and then Tidus opened the chest, revealing a long spear with feathers near the top and a yellow point. Without a word Kimahri stepped forward and accepted the spear.

"Well then, I guess we're done here." Seph said dryly. Matt nodded, and used the comlink to tell Cid that they were on their way back. When they got back to the ship they found Rikku and Rae absent. "Oh man, where are they now? They better not expect us to do all the work."

"They said something about getting a tan." Cid told them without looking up from the navigation computer. He was busy typing in the coordinates for Mushroom Rock Road, which is where Matt told him to go next. "Dunno how they plan on doing that, we ain't got time to stop at a beach, and we ain't got no damn tanning both in here either!"

"You don't need to be at a beach to get a tan…" Matt told Cid. "I know a lot of girls that'll just go out in their back yard and lay there to get a tan."

"Well when you see our back yard, lemme know."

"You don't have a backyard, but you've got a deck." Matt said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. "Didn't think of that, did you?" Cid sighed and shook his head, but made no effort to deny the statement. "Didn't think so."

"What did dad forget this time?" Rikku asked as her and Rae walked onto the bridge.

"What happen to getting a tan?" Seph asked, noting the lack of a tan on either of them.

"Well, Al Bhed don't tan that easily to start with." Rae told him. "And the fact that it's about to rain didn't help much either." Before anyone could ask what she was talking about a crash of thunder caused Rikku to cry out in surprise. Not three seconds later the sky was dark with rain clouds, and the sound of raindrops hitting the metal roof was fast enough to dance to.

"I hate thunder!" Rikku cried before running off the bridge and down the hall. Seph smiled as Matt left the bridge a few seconds before him. They walked out onto the deck and sat down with their backs against the wall.

"You enjoy sitting in the rain too?" Seph yelled over the deafening sound of the rain.

"Not really. I like the thunder." Matt replied as he crossed his legs. He heard Seph laughing a little and glanced over.

"I never would've guessed that you of all people would like thunder. I mean, you're the god of lightning and all." The assassin explained. The door opened and Rae walked out, instantly turning on Seph.

"What the hell are you trying to do!" She thrust a finger at him accusingly. "You're gonna get sick if you sit out in this! Get your ass in there before I make you move myself." Seph starred at her in shock, absently doing as she ordered. The girl turned on Matt and prepared to say something, but stopped as Auron walked out. The old guardian picked Matt up with on hand and dragged him back into the airship.

"What the hell Auron?" Matt demanded, wrenching free of the old man's grip. "I always do that!"

"Not anymore." Auron's voice left no room for arguing as he walked away.

"Pain in the ass old man."

"He isn't that bad." Tidus told him from behind. "He's looked after me since I was a little kid." Matt just walked off to the bridge. "What's his problem?"

"Dunno." Seph replied immediately. "Don't really care to find out either."

888

"We're almost there. Get ready everyone!" Cid announced two hours later. The rain was still pounding, but the thunder had stopped, much to Rikku's relief.

"Man, Ryan can sleep through anything…" Tidus seemed to be a little jealous. "Why are we letting him sleep when we have to run around and get all these things?"

"Because he translated all of the information we have on them in one night, and has only been asleep for a few hours still." Seph told him. "And if he hadn't stayed up all night to translate that information then you wouldn't have that sword."

"Right. He's the reason we're getting all these powerful weapons. Got it." Matt walked onto the bridge, looking over Ryan's now crumpled notes. "So what are we getting here?"

"Well as far as I can tell, there are actually two weapons here." Matt replied without looking up from the papers. "One is a big sword named Masamune, and one is some kind of glove weapon? It's called Godhand. Masamune is in a statue of Lord Mi'Ihen, and Godhand is in a hidden ravine."

"How are we supposed to get it if it's hidden?" Tidus complained.

"The book gave the coordinates." Matt was already showing Cid the next set of coordinates. "Best thing to do," He said after Cid had written them down, "would probably be to split up. Half of us can go get the weapon in the ravine, and the other half can go get the sword."

"Well, aren't we taking charge suddenly." Rikku commented.

"He does only what he can." Rikku looked at the assassin oddly but Matt nodded. "It's raining, the Ravine will be flooding."

"That could be a problem." Matt admitted. "But we've got a four star blitzball players, two Al Bhed, and the god of water. I really don't think we'll have any problem with it."

"So me, Tidus, Seph, Rikku, Andy and Rae are gonna take the ravine down, right brudda?" Matt nodded at Wakka's idea. "All right everyone! Let's get us a weapon, ya?"

"Geez, enthusiastic?" Seph complained. As they walked down to the cargo hold he pulled Matt aside, "How are you going to open the chest with Masamune?" He asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out later." Matt told him with a shrug. Seph smiled and nodded approvingly.

"It's really a shame that I'm gonna have to kill you one day." He said again. Matt rolled his eyes. "You don't believe that I will?"

"I know you'll try. Whether you will or not, that's a little harder to know." Matt told him. 'After all, we're supposed to be going home after we kill Sin, and Yu Yevon won't die for good until we get the ice god to help too. Wherever the hell he is.' Matt thought as the two walked into the cargo hold. The floor was opening, to reveal what looked like white water rapids beneath them.

"Well this is gonna be fun." Rikku sighed as she jumped down and into the water, the rest of the group following her quickly. They were quickly swept down the ravine by the current. 'We're gonna die when we get to the end!' Rikku thought as she saw a solid wall of rock coming towards them quickly. She struggled to get high enough out of the water to warn the others, but the effort caused her to tire quicker then she expected. She found herself slipping underwater as the world around her went black.

888

Seph found that he was thoroughly enjoying himself. He floated through the water like it was a calm pool, not bothered by the fact that he was completely submerged and should have been drowning. He noticed Rikku floating limply in the water ahead of him and sighed. He reached out a hand and a pendulum shot out of his sleeve, pushed by the water itself. It wrapped around Rikku's gloved hand and pulled Seph towards her. 'Such an annoying girl. Wonder what Ryan sees in her.' He thought as he wrapped an arm around her waist and swam to the surface. When he broke surface he found that the rest of his group was having problems as well, but they'd apparently taken blitzing pills and weren't bothered by being underwater. Four more pendulums shout into the water, wrapped around the four remaining members of the group, and lifted them out of the water. He walked along the surface of the water carefully, each step sending little more then ripples out throughout the water that was starting to calm down. He found a dry patch of land and pulled everyone onto it.

"Well, this has been fun." Rae muttered sarcastically. "So now what? Anybody know where exactly this stupid chest is?"

"Tidus, lemme have the Celestial Mirror." The blitzer looked at Seph like he was insane. "Look, the entire ravine is flooded aside from this spot, which means that the chest is underwater. I'm the only one that can deal with being in the water for a long period of time right now. So give me the mirror."

Reluctantly Tidus handed the mirror over. Seph nodded and dove into the water. "Hope he finds it soon." Seph couldn't help but smile at the comment as he swam towards the bottom. Sure enough he found the chest, half buried by several rocks that had been washed down in the current. He didn't have much trouble moving the rocks away, but much to his dismay the chest was being held in place because the bottom half of it was embedded in the rock. With no way to get it out the Celestial Mirror and heard the sound of a lock clicking and then falling to the ground, only it echoed and lingered in the water. He opened the chest, grabbed the massive red glove with dull pincers on the front and swam back to the rock the others were on.

"What kept you?" Rae asked immediately.

"Well, there were all these really cool fish down there that got swept in by the current, and I couldn't just leave them there, so I had to take them back to the ocean first." Seph replied sarcastically. He threw the glove to Rikku before sitting down on the rock. "So now what?"

Rikku pulled out one of the comlinks and said a few things into it so quick that Seph missed it. "He'll be here in a few minutes." She told him.

"Oh, well that's good."

888

"Ok, this should be it." Matt declared as the looked at the statue of Lord Mi'Ihen.

"So now what?" Andy demanded.

"Well, there should be a glyph on it somewhere. We find that, we find the treasure chest, we find the weapon."

"I see." The group started searching the statue. "This isn't getting us anywhere." Andy stated nearly ten minutes later. "It doesn't have a damn glyph."

"It's missing a sword as well." Lulu pointed out. "Could that be the problem?"

"Doesn't say anything about missing swords in Ryan's translation, but I guess it's possible." As Matt said this Auron walked over and began to examine the spot the missing sword would have been in.

"Stand back." He told the group. They backed away and watched as he produced his own sword and shoved it into the hole. With a grunt he turned his sword, and was rewarded when a hidden panel at the base slid open, revealing the glyph they'd been looking for. He tapped it with his boot and a line shot out. A small explosion revealed the treasure chest they'd been looking for.

"Well that's one way to hide something." Matt admitted as he pulled out his comlink. "Cid, lusa yht kad ic. (Cid, come and get us)" Cid replied and the group started back down to where Cid would meet them, Auron holding the chest in one arm and his sword in the other. When they got to the end of the ravine Cid was waiting for them.

"You said you were ready for a ride. Where the hell have you been?" He growled at Matt as the god walked on board.

"Everywhere and no where at the same time." Matt replied without breaking stride. "Did the others get back yet?"

"Not ten minutes ago." Cid told him as they walked to the bridge. "Where to now?"

"Luca." Matt replied.

"Luca?" Cid repeated doubtfully. "How on earth could a legendary weapon be in Luca without any of them damnable Yevonites knowing it?"

Matt shrugged. "Maybe they do know about it. It says that the family of one of their most trusted servants was going to keep it there."

"Wait a second, what is the next legendary weapon?" Seph asked suddenly.

"Why do you need to know?" Matt asked curiously.

"Is it a blitzball with spikes on it?" Matt nodded. "So that's why she's still there!"

"You know who has it, don't you?" Rae accused.

"I do." Seph admitted. "She said that her family had been holding onto this ball for thousands of years, but none of them ever used it. Her dad said that it was 'A weapon destined for one man only'. Didn't make sense at the time, but now it does."

"Well I'm gonna guess that's Wakka's weapon." Matt told him. "And if you know who it is that has it, this'll be quick."

"Yeah, so long as she'll still talk to him." Rae muttered. Everyone looked at her oddly. "Seph has a problem with insulting people, even if he doesn't mean to."

"This is true." Seph admitted sadly. "But I never really talked to her that much. That was pretty much the only conversation we'd ever really had."

"Well then I guess there's some hope for us yet." Rae muttered as the airship took off through the rain towards Luca. Twenty minutes later something on the bridge pinged.

"We're as close as we can get safely. You're going to have to go the rest of the way using the High Road." Cid told them.

"Such a hassle." Matt complained as the airship landed. They disembarked and walked the rest of the way, a trip that took far too long for any of them. When they finally reached Luca an hour later Seph instantly started towards the small café that Yuna had been kidnapped out of. Without stopping he walked up to the bartender.

"Well if it ain't the damn-assassin wanna-be." She said with an icy smile. "What do you want now, Seph?"

"What's with the cold reception?" Seph asked, more then a little surprised.

"Rumor has it that you had a hand in killing Lady Yunalesca. Along with all your friends." She replied evenly.

"Yeah, sure. You can't exactly kill an unsent." Seph replied with a slight smile.

"Sure you can. You just so have to send them. And lone behold, you're traveling with a Summoner. Besides, this came from my most trusted source."

"And who would that be? I bet I could give you about ten better ones." Rae elbowed him in the ribs to remind him he was supposed to be getting the weapon.

"Doubt anybody's better at getting information then ZP is." The entire group stiffened at the name.

"When did he tell you this?" Seph asked without breaking the pace of the conversation.

"Not two days ago, why?" The woman asked.

"Just wondering…" Seph replied. "Anyway, you wanted to know what I wanted now? Well, you remember that 'damn ball' that was keeping you in Luca?" The woman nodded. "Wanna leave?"

"Yeah, but I can't until the ball is given to the person it's supposed to go to." The woman said. "And right now it's locked in its chest, which only some mirror can open. And that's been lost for years."

"Yep, and we found it." Tidus told her proudly. Seph sighed and Matt elbowed the teen in the ribs. "What!"

"Secrets are powerful you dumb-ass." Matt muttered.

"Oh, sorry."

"You've got the mirror?" The woman seemed more then a little relieved to hear that. "Alright, meet me in the back in ten minutes. And don't forget that mirror or I'll kick all your asses, got it?" The woman went back to work, but ten minutes later they found her walking out of the back exit with a chest in her hands. "Here's this god damned chest. Take the ball and do whatever the hell you want with it, I really don't care."

Tidus stepped forward and pulled out the Celestial Mirror. There was a flash, followed by a gentle wind and that carried the sound of a lock clicking and then falling to the ground. The woman raised an eyebrow as Tidus walked up to the chest and lifted the lid without effort. "Heads up, Wakka." Wakka caught the blitzball carefully and the woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"Holy shit! You're actually going to kill Sin!" She whispered in disbelief.

"That is what they were made for lady." Matt was already calling Cid up. "Well, see ya later."

"Yeah, sure." The woman whispered in shock as they walked back onto the main street of Luca. Twenty minutes later they were back in the airship.

"Now where to?" Cid seemed impatient.

"Baaj temple." Matt told him.

"Baaj temple!" Rae seemed surprised. "There's a legendary weapon in that crap hole?"

"Yep." Matt confirmed.

"Well then we have to go to Zanarkand first." Everyone looked at her oddly as she turned to Yuna. "Unless you don't want to get Anima."

"Anima's Fayth is at Baaj temple? No wonder I had never seen it before, it is not a temple that Summoners normally visit." Rae shook her head.

"No, you've never heard of it before because only Seymour exactly where it was for a long time. Then he slipped up while I was doing a waitress job for one of Kinoc's parties. He was drunk, and I heard him say that there was a powerful, hidden Aeon at a place called Baaj temple."

"That is how you got Anima then? On your journey?" Rae nodded.

"Yeah, and it took forever. And unless you got all these stupid items from the other five trials, you're going to have to go back and go through them again. It really sucked."

"Items? What items in specific?" Matt asked.

"Well, from Besaid there was a rod. Kilika had an armlet. Djose had a sphere, and so did Macalania. And Bevelle had a spear or a lance or something like that… and then Zanarkand has its stupid rod."

"Ok then, to Zanarkand." Tidus agreed quickly. "If it means we get another Aeon and a legendary weapon there isn't a problem, is there?" When nobody denied the statement Cid punched in the coordinates for Zanarkand.

"We've got about 45 minutes till we get there." He told them before resuming command of the bridge. When the group arrived they hurried through the dome to the Cloister of Trials.

"Well, this is different." Matt commented as they walked into the first puzzle room. Rather then having to light up the colored shapes they had to light up the square that reset the puzzle. With only one it didn't even take a minute to solve. The same thing was required in the next room, but this time it took a little longer since they had only found one of the four squares last time. When they'd found, and activated, the last square the monitor that had shown them the puzzle exploded.

"Heh, that's great." Andy muttered as he walked over and pulled a rod out of the remains. "But if Seymour has Anima, then wouldn't he have needed to have done this?"

"Yeah, and I did too." Rae looked at him oddly. "Why?"

Andy motioned to the broken monitor, "Who fixes this every time? Without it you wouldn't be able to complete the trial." As if he'd said a command word the spirit that they'd first met outside the dome walked in. Without a word he started to gather the pieces of the shattered monitor. "Oh. Well, let's go." The group walked out without a word until they were back in the airship.

"Now to that stupid temple?" Cid asked.

"Now to that stupid temple." Tidus answered since Matt and Andy had gone off. When they reached the temple, Wakka, Tidus, Seph, and Rikku found themselves once again the only ones able to go in at first. They dropped into the cold waters and swam to the nearest piece of rabble. Tidus looked around intensely. "I think I've been here before."

"Really? When was that?" Seph sounded bored despite the fact that they'd soon be facing some of the most powerful fiends in Spira.

"When I first came to Spira. This is where I first met Rikku."

"Hey, that's right! But this place shouldn't have a Fayth in it, we've searched it from top to bottom."

"Well, Rae says that there's a Fayth here, and she got its Aeon, so we really can't argue against that kind of proof." Seph told her. "And I'm getting cold here, so why don't we start moving, hm?"

"Guess we should do whatever we have to quickly. The faster we kill that stupid fish the faster we can get the legendary weapon and the faster we can get the Aeon." The group looked at Tidus with confusion. "What?"

"Stupid fish? What stupid fish, brudda?" Tidus' normally carefree face grew serious as Wakka asked the question.

"The fish that decided that I was its meal for the day when I was here." He told them. "It was giant, and it nearly got me, but I swam through this hole and it couldn't follow me through it. I was hoping I'd get the chance to come back and kill it one of these days."

"Well if we don't find it we can't kill it, so lead on already." Tidus took up the lead, and the group quickly found its way through the broken rubble. When they came to a dead end Tidus stopped.

"Its right in there somewhere." He told them.

"I don't see anything." Rikku said as she leaned over the edge.

Seph smiled evilly. "Ladies first then." He said before pushing her into the water. She landed with a loud splash and the rest of the group couldn't help but laugh at her a little as she surfaced.

"Not funny, you big meanies!" She yelled accusingly. Suddenly her eyes widened with terror and everyone quickly stopped laughing. "Hurry up and get down here." She whispered, her voice just barely perceivable to the rest of her friends. Without a moment's thought the guys jumped in, each making a splash of their own. "There's something really big in here."

Suddenly a giant, vaguely seahorse looking fiend jumped out of the word. Giant claws replaced its fins, and it had four tails rather then one, a cage like chest, and a giant mouth. "Well, at least you weren't kidding about the thing being big," Seph commented sarcastically, "but you didn't neglect to mention that it was an ugly bastard to boot."

"Whatever. Just kill the stupid thing!" Tidus cried, charging in with Caladbolg. As he swam he cast Hastega on the party, and Seph and Rikku quickly passed him. Wakka's ball sailed into the fiend's stomach repeatedly, its spike's breaking the bone a little more with each attack. Rikku had her giant claw thing from the ravine out, and despite its weight she was still faster then anyone else in the fight, the fiend included. She swam circles around it, punching it from time to time, but more often then not sticking bombs through he holes in its chest, and much to the confusion of everyone else they stuck to it no matter how hard the giant fiend thrashed. Tidus repeatedly hacked away at the right claw, while Seph tore the left one apart with four of his pendulums.

"Is it me, or is he not getting any weaker?" Rikku asked when she broke away from combat to catch her breath.

"It would certainly appear that's the case." Seph admitted. "But it doesn't make much sense that it's taking so long to die. It's really irritating me."

"So do something about it!" Tidus yelled.

"Tidus, Rikku, get away from it for a minute. I'm gonna need you to protect me while I do this." Seph told them, a slight smile on his face. 'Didn't expect to have to use this against a fiend. But then again, this isn't your average fiend, and his is too important to risk losing.' He brought his right hand up in front of him, and the water around him began to swirl oddly. Slowly the odd swirling expanded until it formed in entire circle around the fiend. "Heh, let's see how you like this! Special Technique One: Water Clones of Death!" When he shouted fifteen copies of him appeared in a ring around the fiend.

"What in the name of forbidden machina?" Rikku cried in surprise as each clone, plus the real Seph, dropped all 40 of their pendulums.

"Well, shall we?" They asked as one as 600 pendulums assaulted it, shredding it to pieces almost instantly. "Well, I guess that's that." Seph said as the clones disappeared from the gore filled water.

"What the hell are you?" Rikku asked in a horrified voice.

Seph gave her an exhausted smile, "I'm the worlds number one hit man. Now you're beginning to understand why, aren't you? Afraid yet, 'cause I'll come for all of you eventually." Rikku shivered and he closed his eyes and drifted to the surface. 'Too bad that technique takes up so much energy. I'd forgotten how exhausting it was.' He heard the click of a lock followed by the sound of it hitting the ground and his smile grew a little. 'At least I took care of that massive fiend.' Something grabbed his arm and when he glanced over he saw Rikku pulling him to the surface. When they broke surface they just floated there for a while before anyone bothered to call for Cid to drop the others off.

"What happened to you, Seph?" Matt teased. "You look like hell."

"Yeah well. That happens from time to time, you know?" He replied in his normal tone. "Let's just get this over with. I don't like this place."

"Well talk to Rae about it. She's the only one that knows where we're supposed to be going." Everyone looked at the second Summoner of the group.

"Ok, ok, I get the point. Follow me. And anyone who isn't a pretty good swimmer better use a blitzing capsule. It's a bit of a swim. Actually, everyone but Seph should use once, since he's the god of water and all." Everyone did as she said and jumped into the water. She swam to the far side of the area that Rikku, Tidus, Seph, and Wakka had fought the massive fiend in, and revealed an old door that was overgrown with moss. Without stopping she pushed the door open and began making her way inside. After nearly ten minutes of swimming through dark, twisting tunnels they came out in a room with six statues. "Ok everyone, pick a statue that you like and touch it. That'll unlock the Fayth."

"Unlock the Fayth?" Yuna asked as she touched the nearest statue.

"Yeah, Anima's really powerful, so Seymour put a lock on it after he got it. That's why he got the items. He's the one that made them into the keys to unlocking Anima's Fayth."

"Bastard. First he refuses to die, now he made us run all the way back to Zanarkand. Always causing us so much work." Matt complained as the group fanned out and touched the six statues. Each one glowed for a second after being touched, and when they all stopped the door at the far end of the room opened. The group walked inside silently and Yuna began to pray. After a few seconds the Fayth appeared.

"It's been a while, Rae. I'm glad to see you are still among the living." Rae shrugged.

"I made it to Zanarkand, but I couldn't kill someone just to get the Final Aeon. I'm sure you understand." The Al Bhed replied.

"You're Seymour's mom!" Everyone looked at Matt oddly. "Remember, she was with Seymour when we saw him in the dome in Zanarkand."

"Hey, that's right!" The Fayth turned to Yuna.

"If I give you my Aeon, will you stop my son? He has become corrupted by the darkness known as Sin. It consumes his thoughts. My Aeon was not enough power for him, so he turned to Sin, the only thing more powerful then Anima aside from the Final Aeon itself." The Fayth explained. "If you promise to rid Spira of my son, and Sin, then I will give you my Aeon."

"I will." Yuna agreed. The Fayth smiled thankfully before floating into Yuna. After a few seconds Yuna stood up and motioned for them to leave. They swam down the long tunnel again and when they reached the surface they found Cid waiting for them.

"Well, to what do we owe this honor?" Matt wondered aloud as they boarded the ship. When they walked onto the bridge he got his answer. Ryan was waiting for them, coffee in hand, eye twitching slightly.

"Damn it Ryan! How many times must I tell you to get that eye checked!" Andy yelled before anyone could say anything.

"Apparently many more…" Ryan muttered.

"So, when did you wake up?" Seph asked. "You've missed out on a hell of a lot of fun."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Came the muttered reply. "But not the omega ruins."

"Now how the hell did ya know that?" Cid demanded. "Ya just woke up for Yevon's sake!"

"Well, I know that I would've gotten all the legendary weapons before going there. And I gave the translation to Matt specifically because we think so much alike it's more--"

"Then a little scary?" Matt finished much to everyone's surprise.

"Yeah, exactly. And I know that even though you're a lazy bum, like me, you wouldn't walk into something like the omega ruins without being almost positive that he could win. Besides, he knows I'd kick his ass if he went there without me."

"How does he know that?" Seph asked curiously.

Matt laughed. "He warned me in the translation." He told the assassin. Seph looked at him like he was insane so he pulled out the last page of the translation. "Matt, if you go to the omega ruins without me, you'll think Lusniec got off easy."

"Wow." Seph muttered as Ryan yawned. "I must admit, that's kind of scary."

"Yeah well. I do only what I can."

"I thought that was you," Seph turned to Matt who shook his head.

"Nope, both of us. We think almost exactly alike. Like we said before--"

"It's more then a little scary." This time Ryan finished the sentence. "Anyway, we've got two immensely powerful fiends to kill, right?"

"Don't forget cutting down all the fiends just to get to them." Andy's comment drew a suspicious look from the others from earth. "What? I did manage to get glimpses of it when Matt was reading."

"Oh." Everyone on the bridge said as one. "Well then, let's have those coordinates!" Cid said cheerfully. "Otherwise we may never get out of here."

"Right." Ryan agreed as Matt gave Cid the coordinates. He felt arms wrap around his waste as he started to pour another cup of coffee.

"Morning sleepy head." Rikku teased as he handed her the first cup he'd poured.

"Eh, I usually don't sleep this late, you know that." Cid raised an eyebrow at the comment but remained silent. "Besides, I was still awake when you guys left to get the second weapon."

"Really?" Ryan nodded. "Why's that?"

"Well, I'd gotten to sleep a few times before that, but I kept having nightmares." Rikku felt Ryan shudder.

"What were they about?"

"Lusniec." Rikku couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, you weren't the one he was in love with and trying to kill. Besides, before you got there he kissed me." Again Ryan shivered, this time visibly.

"Hey, that's not fair. Doesn't he know you're mine?"

"Guess not."

"Well if you two love birds aren't too busy we're almost there." Cid told them. "We put everything we had into getting there, so if you and your friends blow this, I'll kick all your asses when I get to the Farplane. Got that?"

"Well then, I guess it's time to go to work." Seph said in a voice that rivaled Tidus' normal enthusiasm.

"You feeling ok?" Rae asked, noting the change instantly.

"I've been here before. Ten years ago, when I first became an assassin. Only, back then, I wasn't strong enough to do anything to any of the fiends in here. I wanna see how far I've come since then." Without waiting Seph dashed through the airship and charged into the ruins.

"Well, that's not very… Seph like." Ryan commented as the rest of the group walked out.

"That's disgusting." Yuna whispered when they entered the cave. The high walls were covered in blood, and puddles of water and a long line of pyreflies illuminated Seph's path.

"Geez, who does he think he is, Ryan?" Matt muttered. "He's certainly moving fast enough, that's for sure." As the group moved deeper into the cave Seph's trail of death grew larger and more recent until they actually came across the assassin. He was covered in wounds and barely standing. The fiend that he was fighting was giant and silver, with four legs, a tail, and a human upper-body, minus two arms.

"Well, I guess Omega was a little tougher then Seph thought." Lulu's voice held a hint of amusement.

"That's not Omega, it is Ultima, Omega's shadow." Auron told them.

"Well then, let's kill the shadow and get to the real fight." Ryan muttered as he drew Wind Cutter. "Seph, move. I've been dying to try this out." Seph raised and eyebrow as Ryan cut his thumb on Wind Cutter's edge. He ran the injured finger along the entire blade. "Well, let's see the difference between my old Wind Cutter, and the actual Wind Cutter!" As he slashed the blade down a red beam came off of it, this time thick enough for it to be visible to him. He watched with grim satisfaction as it slammed into Ultima Weapon, which roared in pain as it engulfed him in a tornado of murdering wind.

"Wow, that's… a little different." Matt admitted. 'But if that's the real Wind Cutter, then why didn't Ryan get hit by the tornado part when Lusniec used it?'

"Well, now that we've dealt with that bastard, let's find Omega." The eagerness in Seph's eyes sent shivers down the spines of everyone but Auron and Kimahri. He took up the lead, and they quickly found themselves outside the cave. The new area had several platforms, and each time they came to one Seph killed the fiend there before anyone else could even draw a weapon. After the last platform they entered another cave, only this one had no tunnels. It had a high ceiling, and smooth walls. The only remarkable thing about it was the massive, black fiend that was leaning back on two legs, watching them with bright red eyes. Its legs were almost as big as tree trunks, and it stood well over 20 feet tall. Its wings were at least ten feet long and it had two massive arms. Its hands had gauntlet like protectors over them, and it had two massive bones that had decorative chains hanging off them.

"This is gonna hurt…" Ryan muttered in awe as the massive creature's wings started to glow. "Oh damn, not again." Memories of the fiend they'd fought just before coming to Zanarkand. This time the beams fired straight at them, giving them less time to scatter then they'd had before. The ground exploded beneath them as they tried to jump out of the way, further isolating each fighter.

'Bastard.' Seph thought as he skidded to a sitting stop. He glanced up and barely had time to roll out of the way of a tree-trunk sized foot trying to crush him. As he shielded himself from a wave of airborne rock he managed to watch Auron cut off one of the fiends fingers before getting knocked away by its other arm. Then Omega launched a gray ball at Auron, knocking the sword master to the ground. He hit the ground and his new sword spun across the room leaving him completely defenseless as Omega swung another arm at him. At the last minute Matt jumped in the way, nearly cutting the massive arm in two with a single attack from Lightning Edge. The massive fiend roared in pain and backhanded Matt halfway across the room. It's chest opened up while Matt was in mid air, and by the time he hit the wall more then thirty little balls of energy were flying towards him.

"Oh shit." He muttered before pushing off of the wall. For a second he seemed to disappear in the massive amount of dust, but when he reappeared he had another ball of lightning in his hand. Seph marveled at the sound it gave off, something akin to a lot of birds chirping in unison as far as he could tell. As Matt charged the giant fiend it's chest opened up and launched out another burst of energy balls. With speed that would have given Ryan a run for his money he swerved in and out of the deadly checkerboard like pattern. "Go to hell!" He drove up to his elbow into Omega's chest and pushed off, landing right next to Lightning Edge.

Rikku was the next to act, lobbing several grenades into the spot Matt had just opened with expert aim. When they exploded they sent hundreds of tiny pieces of armor out into the group. Suddenly Bahamut and Anime appeared on either side of the giant fiend.

"Anima, Oblivion!" The ground changed into the purple and black color of Anima's world as Omega began to sink into it. The sound of Omega roaring in pain gave the entire group shivers, particularly Andy, Auron, and Matt. When it surfaced again the massive fiend was favoring its right leg, and the arm Matt had nearly taken off was completely gone now, slowly bleeding the life out of Omega.

"Bahamut, Mega Flare!" The Aeon instantly obeyed Yuna's order, flipping onto its back as it began to power up. Omega turned its head towards Bahamut as its own wings started to glow.

"Everyone, stall for Bahamut!" Auron yelled. He'd retrieved his sword and was already charging the massive fiend. As he charged a pair of phoenix flew past him, slamming into Omega and exploding with enough force to knock it back several feet. Next came a Chinese dragon that wrapped itself around Omega's legs. When Omega bent down to pry the water dragon off Ryan and Rikku started to throw grenades at it from behind while Lulu assaulted it with spells and Wakka put World Champion to good use.

"Look out!" Yuna's warning barely came in time for Tidus, Auron, and Kimahri to jump out of the way before Bahamut fired its ultimate attack. For a few seconds the entire group held its breath, but when the smoke cleared only pyreflies remained of the powerful fiend.

"Oh my god, thank you." Matt muttered as he let himself collapse to the ground. Slowly Yuna stepped forward, and everyone quietly watched as she performed the Sending.

"Omega was once a priest of Yevon." Lulu explained. "He was cast out of the order, and his hatred for Yevon changed him from a man into what we just fought."

"Wow, talk about a grudge." Lulu nodded at Seph's comment.

"Yes, one that lasted several hundred years." Yuna finished up the Sending and led the group back through the twisting ruins. They called for Cid who greeted them with a grim face.

"It's time, ain't it?" Yuna nodded quietly. Cid laughed and everyone from Spira looked at him like he was insane. "The final showdown with Sin. I say we get this show on the road!"

"Yu Yevon is hiding somewhere inside Sin, and we're gonna find him." Tidus declared in a determined voice.

"Well, that sounds pretty simple." Cid's voice showed that he approved of the idea.

"Hey! Simple's the way you like it, right?" Cid's grin widened at the comment.

"You got that right."

"Pops! I'm counting on you!" Rikku added.

"Right, got you covered!" Cid reached over a flicked a few switches. Immediately the Hymn started to play out of the speakers of the Airship. "How's that?"

"Right on!" Rikku congratulated her father.

"A singing ship in the sky…" Lulu commented quietly.

"I hope everyone got the message" Wakka added in nervously.

Suddenly the pilot turned to them, pointing out the window. He managed only one word, which came out as a nervous scream, "Sin!"

* * *

well now, 45 pages just to get the legendary weapons and kill omega. that's why this chapter took so long too, it's a lot longer then normal. and don't forget people, in the epilouge i'll be posting the results of the favorite character poll, so tell me who you like! i'm keeping every e-mail that has a vote in it, so don't bother to vote twice! and don't forget to review! 


	17. Goodbye

So here we are everyone. this would've been up on memorial day, or yesterday, but the server wouldn't let me log in, a fact that caused me much distress.and just think, just one more update after this and then we'll be on to book 2! wow... this is the first story i've ever finished, you know that?And it's also more then 400 pages long in the master copy! And it's all thanks to you wonderful reviewers! give yourselves a pat on the back! anyway, i'd just like to promote the final fantasy 10 fics written by Ghost Rider CSV (the series starts with Yevon Phoenix and is currently on the sequal, Resurrection, they're really good, so go check them out 'cause the next update, aka the epilouge thing (wow, spelled that wrong), is gonna take awhile to get done more then likely, but you'll understand why when i update. now, onto reveiws!

labrat-seph- so you were too lazy to unlock all the legendary weapons? i unlocked tidus', rikku's, and yuna's... and then procceded to kill ultima, omega, jecht, and yu yevon in a grand total of 13 hits... i think...

lightningwizard- well thank you! i had a hard time making this one interesting without having much fighting... and i was kinda glad to not have Ryan in it for awhile. BOrn-Slippy was right, he was saving the group too much -- so i had to put him on the bench.

Auron's fan- well, you'll just have to read and find out how the battle goes!

Da KeR MysTeRr- well, here's the newest chapter! and speaking of sequals... i have an announcment to make, but i'm not gonna make till the end of the chapter! muwahahahahahahahah! don't look early now people!

Sephirothxx-yes, i made it interesting... and the omega ruins were a pain in the game, so i had Seph kick ass in them to show how much i despise them... and his clone technique was pretty kool. what was it, 600 pendulums? can you ow?

BOrn-Slippy- yes, it was entertaining. and will seph turn on the group? well, i'm no telling, i mean there are at LEAST 3 more books in the series, though he's not in one of them... at all...

and that's it for the reviews! now, enjoy the chapter, leave a review, and then i'll make my annoucement (spelled that wrong i think...) at the end! cya there!

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Chapter 17:Good-byes

"All right, we're going in!" Tidus told Cid.

"How we gonna get inside?" Wakka raised a rather interesting question.

Tidus grinned. "The easy way! How else?"

"Figures." Rikku said with mock disappointment.

"He better not mean we're going in through the mouth…" Ryan whispered to Matt, who nodded in agreement.

"Well? Let's go!" Lulu ordered as the guardians started to file out of the room quickly. As Tidus, Matt, and Ryan went to walk off Cid called out to Tidus, who stopped, forcing Matt and Ryan to follow suit.

"How do you plan on getting inside?"

"If we can go through the mouth, we'll rip open a new one! You with me?" Cid looked at them and laughed.

"Now that's what I call a plan!" He agreed much to Tidus' pleasure.

"Vydran! E ghuf fryd du ica! (Father! I know what to use!)" The pilot told Cid.

"Aha! Of course!" Cid seemed to know what his son was talking about, but Tidus simply mimicked him, oblivious to what they were talking about. "All right, we'll give that thing a new blow hole. All you gotta do is jump!" HE told them.

"That's good to know." Ryan said sarcastically.

"I won't tell you to be careful. Do your worst kiddos!" The three gave him a determined smile.

"We always do." Matt informed Cid which caused the Al Bhed leader to smile.

"Fyed! (Wait!)" The pilot called. Everyone looked at him as he cleared his throat. "Rikku, you… guard." Although it was broken he got the idea across well enough.

"You should be talking to him about that." Tidus said with a grin, pointing at Ryan who smiled.

Tuh'd funno bym. E'mm gaab yh aoa uh ran. (Don't worry pal. I'll keep an eye on her.)" Ryan assured him before the three left. They met up with the rest of their group on the elevator, and silently they rode up to the deck for what could very well be their last time.

"I can hear the song!" Rikku said in an excited voice.

"Yes, I can hear the Hymn, too." Lulu agreed.

"They listened to us!" Rikku was jumping up and down with joy now.

"Yuna!" Tidus' voice drew her attention to him and he pulled out the sphere he'd found before Zanarkand. "You don't need this anymore, right? Right?" She shook her head and he threw it overboard. When it hit the peak of its flight an arrow flew through it, followed closely by a kunai and a throwing star.

"Hey guys? Guys? That's not good, ya?" Wakka commented as the airship began to shake. They looked at Sin and found a massive ball of energy in its mouth. When it fired the water and the land in its path split, and even though they weren't avid church goers on Earth, Matt, Andy, and Ryan couldn't help but think that the affect Sin's attack had on the ocean was probably something along the lines of what Moses did when he parted the sea.

"This is gonna take more then a little doing." Ryan muttered in awe as he watched the water go back to normal.

The speakers on the airship cracked to life and Cid's voice poured out over it, "Hey, I saw something shine at the base of Sin's arm! I reckon it's a weak spot!" That was all the incentive the group needed. But before they could do anything Sin opened its mouth and started to suck them in.

"B.S." Ryan muttered as they drew closer to the fiend.

"Sin's pulling us in!" Rikku told them.

"Brilliant observation." Matt replied sarcastically.

"Everyone, back inside!" Cid ordered.

"Don't worry about it! We'll just kick its ass here and now!" Seph replied confidently.

Rae gave her boyfriend a surprised look. "That's not like you. I mean, you always used to say that Sin was the only fiend in Spira that you feared."

"We've got to end it. Spira's lived in fear for way too long." Now everyone was starring at him. "Think of it as my last job if you will. I always knew I'd go out with a bang."

Matt smiled. "Guess that means we're off the hook then." Seph grinned but said nothing. "That's good to hear." He dropped Lightning Edge onto the airship and pulled out his bow. "Well, see you later." He muttered as he fired the empty bow. Nobody was shocked or surprised to see seventy arrows of pure electricity flying through the air a few seconds later. They slammed into Sin's left fin, just at its base. For a second nothing happened, but Matt's smile kept anyone from asking what he was doing. As they watched the arrows started to glow, and then Sin roared. The sound was the most terrifying, but also the most heartbreaking sound any of them had ever heard. "Gotta love delayed attacks." Matt informed nobody in particular as he walked over, threw the bow and quiver into the elevator and returned to Lightning Edge.

By the time he returned both Summoners had summoned their version of Anima, and the horrifying Aeons were pounding away at the same fin he'd damaged. Suddenly Cid's voice came over the radio again, this time ordering them to hold onto something.

"What exactly does he expect us to hold onto?" Andy wondered allowed as he laid down on the ground, driving both the blades on his weapons into the hull. Everyone else followed suit as best they could. Something beneath them started to give off heat, and then a massive bolt of pure energy shot out from underneath the airship. It slammed into Sin's left fin at the weak point. For a second nothing happened, but then the fin fell into the ocean below and Sin let out another cry of pain.

"Got it!" Tidus cried in joy.

"Couldn't have done it without you! All right! Everyone look sharp! Time to hit the other side!" Cid told them as Brother started turning the airship.

"Easy for you to say!" Rikku yelled jokingly. The second fin fell as quickly as the first, if not quicker, and once again Cid blew it off with the main gun. Rikku listened to the radio her father had given her intently, her face growing paler with each passing second. "The main gun's busted!" She was struggling to keep the panic inside of her from showing.

"Dang it! All right, back inside. Time for another plan." Cid told them.

"No!" Tidus yelled defiantly. "Every blitzer knows: when you've got the ball you gotta score!"

"On my honor as a Ronso!" Kimahri roared as he jumped off the side of the airship and onto Sin.

"Hey! Star players first!" Tidus complained as the rest of the group followed suit.

"We're fucking insane!" Ryan yelled as he dropped towards Sin. When they landed a sight that was familiar to some of the group greeted them. The Sinspawn that they'd destroyed at Kilika Temple was waiting for them.

"Not this bastard again." Ryan sighed. "And I can't even use the Do Ryu Sen this time."

"Why not?" Rikku asked.

Ryan pointed to the ground. "It'll tear up Sin's skin. And each piece of skin that comes off is gonna turn into a Sinspawn."

"Oh yeah." The Sinspawn lashed out at the group with its tentacles, but the group easily dodged the attack. Seph's pendulums launched out, wrapping around the things vine like fingers but oddly enough not cutting them to pieces.

"Bastard." Seph muttered, more then a little impressed. "It's a hell of a lot stronger then it looks. I can't tear it apart like the others."

"Hold it still then." Ryan told him. Seph nodded and Ryan jumped up into the air. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Tsui Sen!" he came down and cut into the fingers that Seph had stretched taunt. They gave little resistance against the powerful attack, and Auron and Tidus quickly went to work on the other side, hacking the fingers off at odd intervals but with devastating affect. Without it's fingers it was pretty much harmless, and couldn't defend itself against the groups physical attacks at all. After that fell the group starred down a big pod looking thing that seemed resistant to physical attacks. Once Auron broke its armor the fight was as easier then they expected.

As they walked through the airships corridors they received congratulations from everyone they passed. The fact that everyone was congratulating them before Sin was truly dead turned all their stomachs, but they just smiled and let the people believe that Sin was dead for good. After all, soon it would be as far as they were concerned.

"Rikku, aqlammahd! (Rikku, excellent!)" Brother told his sister when the group walked onto the bridge.

"It's going to come back, isn't it?" Yuna's question was so quiet everyone but Tidus nearly missed it.

He nodded sadly. "I know."

"What?" Cid looked at them in shock. "You're kidding me!"

"No! We have to beat the guy inside of Sin."

"The Crusaders would be out of a job if it was this easy." Wakka agreed sadly.

"But it has weakened. I'm sure of it." Lulu told the group.

"Yeah! We're winning!" Rikku agreed excitedly.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do with the main gun!" With that the captain of the airship walked off the bridge with a determined stride.

"Well, I guess all we can do now is wait." Matt sat down, leaning against one of the walls. "Might as well get comfortable." The minutes ticked by as people filtered in an out of the bridge for various reasons, but everyone was on edge.

"Here we go!" Rikku shouted suddenly. She was watching Sin out of the main window while talking into the radio she had. The few members of the group that hadn't been on the bridge arrived in time to see Sin unfold two massive wings and fly over to a tower in Bevelle.

"What the hell?" Matt wondered aloud.

"Does anyone else see a city on its back?" Andy asked, voicing everyone's confusion.

"Most definitely." Ryan confirmed. "But why it has a city on its back, I'll never know."

"Jecht… he's waiting for you." Auron said quietly as Cid walked back onto the deck with a grim face.

"Well, son, the main gun is still busted! We can't give you any cover fire!" he declared sadly.

"Hey, just take us in." Tidus said confidently. "We'll do the rest." The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"All right." He turned to Brother, "Take us up, flush to the mouth! No mistakes, or I'm gonna tear out that mop you call hair!" The group couldn't help but smile slightly at the comment.

"Trust… me. Me… take you there. No problem… ya?"

"Let's get ready to blitz!" Matt sighed at Tidus' enthusiasm.

'He's definitely as bad as Rikku.' Matt thought as the group made their way to deck. When they got out they found themselves starring right into Sin's many eyes.

"Here we go!" Cid warned as he flew closer to the massive fiend.

"Yeah! I'm coming for you, Dad!" Sin attacked, blasting a small bolt of energy at the group. Everyone jumped out of the way and the beam passed over the deck harmlessly.

"Ultima!" Lulu cried, launching a wave of pure magic at the fiend. It slammed into Sin, but had no real effect.

"That's not good…" Matt said quietly. He closed his eyes for a second and found Dnortih's power. He pulled as much of it out as he could, many times more then a Thundaraga spell would've required. He opened his eyes, and when he pointed a hand at Sin a bolt of lightning shot out of his hand. It slammed into Sin and caused what looked almost like an explosion when it hit.

"What was that?" Lulu asked curiously, to which Matt could only shrug.

"Something I just came up with actually." He admitted slowly.

"It worked though." Andy closed his eyes like Matt had. 'I'm pretty sure that was the power of the god of thunder, so what can the god of fire do?' he wondered as he found Vena's power. He tore almost all of it out and focused it into his hand. With a cry he threw it at Sin, and the giant wave of fire that appeared out of his hands was as big as the fiend. "Go. To. Hell." He muttered as he willed the wave forward. It engulfed Sin for a second and then multiple explosions sounded from the burning fiend. "I think I hit something explosive…"

With a roar Sin slammed into the airship, nearly knocking the group off the deck. As they regained their footing they saw Sin, mouth opened, trying to swallow them.

"Damn it! How'd I know we were gonna end up going in through the mouth?" Ryan muttered as he sheathed Wind Cutter. And then they were inside of Sin. It was unlike anything they'd expected to see. They were flying, and at one point passed through an illusionary eye that reminded everyone of Seymour for some reason.

"Dad! Where are you?" Tidus yelled into the emptiness as they got off of the airship.

"We must go to him." Auron told Tidus.

"Then we will! Let me take front!" Tidus led the group through in surprisingly quickly.

Until they reached a set of stairs, where they heard a horrifyingly familiar voice call out to them. "Welcome to the end!" Seymour told them, but he was different this time. Apparently he'd been waiting for them because he was already transformed and ready to fight.

"Don't you ever give up?" Tidus asked the dead annoyance that stood in front of them.

"Seriously. This'll be the fourth time we've killed you? Why humiliate yourself again, just roll over and die." Matt suggested in a voice that suggested that he'd rather kill Seymour himself.

Seymour gave them an insane laugh. "Sin has chosen me!" He told them.

"Psycho…" Andy muttered quietly as Seymour continued to rant.

"Sin just absorbed you." Tidus told Seymour.

"I will learn to control it, from within. I have all the time in the world. Since you were gracious enough to dispose of Yunalesca… the only means of destroying Sin is forever gone. Now nothing can stop us!" He burst into another fit of laughter that ended when Ryan threw several throwing stars at him. They simply bounced off his skin, but he looked at Ryan with hatred in his eyes.

"Well we can." Tidus told Seymour as he pulled out Caladbolg." Seymour's eyes widened.

"You… you have them! The weapons of legend!" He seemed more then a little frightened.

"Yep. Ryan translated their locations, how to get them, and then Matt gave the directions while he was asleep." Andy explained.

"And they certainly kicked Omega's ass, so I wonder what they'll do to yours. Care to find out?" Ryan asked with a friendly voice.

"You killed Omega?" Seymour was utterly shocked, that much was clear. "Well then, you'll just have to die here. I can't have such powerful foes running around." Seymour launched two Firaga spells at the group, which Andy absorbed before they could hit anyone. Seymour glared at the gods and tried a water spell. Just as it was about to hit the group it stopped, turned around and slammed into Seymour instead.

"Seymour, it's been awhile." Seph said calmly as he stepped out of a nearby shadow.

"Traitor!" Seymour yelled, a thunderbolt flying towards the assassin. It curved in mid air, hit Seymour, and then hit the three wheels behind him. They turned from blue to red as Seymour stood up slowly, obviously shaken by the powerful attack. "Then die!" He yelled as he launched a flare at the group, only to have it bounce off of an invisible shield.

"Sorry, but that's not gonna work." Ryan said quietly as Tidus and Auron charged Seymour. Tidus slashed him a bunch of times, drove his sword into the ground, and jumped off it. Yuna threw one of Wakka's old blitzballs at him and he twisted in mid-air and kicked it at Seymour. It slammed into the Maester, knocking him back a couple of feet before the blitzball exploded.

As Tidus dropped to the ground Auron took a long sip from his sake bottle and spit the sake back out on his sword. When he swung four fireballs came off of it and slammed into Seymour, knocking him back again.

Lulu and Yuna started assaulting Seymour with a barrage of Holy and Ultima spells, and Kimahri even threw in some second level spells. World Champion flew into Seymour repeatedly, its deadly spikes tearing out pieces of flesh each time. Seph's pendulums weaved in and out of the rest of the attacks, slowly cutting Seymour to ribbons. With a single, true, Wind Cutter and a Chidori Seymour fell to the ground, blood pouring out of nearly every part of his body.

"No!" He cried weakly.

"Now!" Wakka yelled to Yuna while pointing to Seymour. "Yuna, send him!"

"So it is you, after all, who will send me." Seymour muttered in an amused voice. "But even after I am gone, Spira's sorrow will prevail!"

"Not if we have anything to say about it." Seph whispered as Seymour disappeared, leaving behind the feeling that the group hadn't seen the last of him.

"Sin will be right behind you." Tidus told him before leading the group into the next part of Sin, where a tower fell from the sky.

"Well that certainly looks inviting." Ryan muttered sarcastically as they walked in. There was a bright flash and then they found themselves in a circular room with no way out, and the only other feature there was an egg-shaped glow. Tidus started towards it but was nearly impaled by an icicle that shot up out of the ground.

"Perhaps not standing still would be good." Rae suggested as she started to jog around. She reached the egg and picked it up, only to have another egg appear on the other side of the room. Auron reached down and picked this one up, and another one appeared. They continued to gather the light eggs until they had ten of them, at which point they were transported to a spot just outside a busted up city. And there was someone else there with his back turned towards them.

"You're late, Auron." The man's gruff voice made Ryan smirk slightly.

"I know." Auron replied quietly.

"So we meet again." The man turned and chuckled when he saw Ryan.

"Glad to see you made it kid." His eyes fell on Tidus. "Hey!"

"Hi." Tidus seemed like he was going to kick Jecht's ass right there, but he managed to keep himself in check.

"Hah! You got tall, but you're all skin and bones! You eating right, boy?" There was an awkward silence as the two studied each other. "You've really grown."

"Yeah, but you're still bigger." Tidus replied with the same tone he'd used earlier.

"Well, I am Sin you know." Jecht said with a laugh.

"That's not funny." Again Tidus used the same angry tone.

Jecht stopped laughing. "Well, then… I mean… you know. Let's end this."

Tidus raised an eyebrow. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I hate you." Tidus told him.

"I know, I know. You know what you have to do."

Tidus nodded. "Yeah." His voice was sad but it held a determined edge.

"I can't hear the Hymn so well anymore." Jecht told them. "Pretty soon, I'm gonna be Sin completely. I'm glad you're here now. One thing, though… when it starts, I won't be myself anymore. I won't be able to hold myself back. I'm sorry."

"That's enough!" Tidus yelled, clearly frustrated. "Let's finish this, okay?" Jecht nodded sadly.

"You're right." He stepped onto a circle behind him. "Well, then… let's go!" Something inside him started to glow as he stumbled back towards the edge of the cliff. Tidus followed him and tried to keep him from the edge, but he was just a few seconds too late.

"Ryan!" Tidus whirled around to see his friend already running towards the ledge. He fell for a few seconds, looking oddly like a diver. Then his wings expanded and he pushed down towards the fading form of Jecht.

'Too late.' He realized as Jecht hit some lava. 'And why the hell does Sin have lava inside him? Talk about heartburn.' His thoughts were interrupted as a column of lava shot up at him. He barely dodged the first one and threw up a barrier to block another. He let it push him up as high as it went, and when it was falling back into the lava he turned and flew as fast as he could for the ledge everyone was on. Something stirred in the lava below, and when he was only a few feet away from the ledge he heard an inhuman roar. "Damn it!" He yelled as he was thrown way over the ledge by a force he couldn't begin to imagine.

His eyes widened as he watched a giant fiend with red skin, white hair, and a pair of horns rose up out of the lava. "Hey, are you ok?" Andy asked when Ryan landed. Ryan gave him a confused looked and Andy pointed towards his friend's wings, the tips of which were burned more then a little.

"I didn't even notice." With a flash of light the wings disappeared, but the rumbling grew louder.

"What's making that rumbling?" Rae asked, a hint of fear creeping into her voice.

"Jecht." Auron said quietly. Tidus turned to ask what he meant, but before he could even begin to form the question there was a thunderous, close roar. Everyone watched the eye, their expressions ranging from pure terror, like Rae and Rikku; to defiant glares like Matt, Andy, and Ryan; to impassive faces, like Auron and Seph.

A massive, red skinned, clawed hand reached up onto the ledge. "This could be a problem." Ryan grinned slightly when Andy stole his line. They watched as the previous Final Aeon pulled itself up onto the ledge.

"This will most certainly take a lot of work." Ryan muttered in awe as he looked at Braska's Final Aeon. It was at least twenty feet tall, and it wasn't even completely on the ledge. From the stomach down was still below them.

"I promise this will be quick." Tidus was stepping forward with Caladbolg. "Hit me with all you got, Dad!" Jecht complied by swinging a massive hand at the group.

"Damn it Tidus! Don't provoke him!" Ryan complained as he jumped up and drove Wind Cutter into Jecht's arm. The Aeon just starred at him like he wasn't really worth the trouble before knocking him off with a backhand that sent him hurtling into a nearby wall.

"Chidori!" Matt yelled. Instantly the familiar sound of a thousand birds chirping echoed in the cavern, while a familiar ball of lightning appeared in his hand. He jumped onto Jecht's other hand and charged up it as fast as he could, jumping and rolling around on it to dodge Jecht's attempts to knock him off. He reached the top and shoved the lightning into Jecht's neck. There was a second of resistance before his hand passed into the Aeon's flesh, but not nearly as far as he'd hoped. Jecht snarled in pain, reached up and grabbed Matt, and then threw him into Ryan who was just starting to sit up.

"Zombie Attack!" Auron charged his former companion and cut into him with his new sword. Jecht shrugged the blow off without taking much direct damage, but the familiar black stuff that had come out of Seymour's spear came off his sword and flowed into the cut.

'Intelligent.' Seph admitted as he dropped all of his pendulums at once. Everyone but Wakka, Rikku, Tidus, and Auron starred at the forty blades at his feet. "Well then, Sir Jecht. Shall we?" He asked as the water in the air connected the blades with stands of water.

Jecht replied by reaching into his own chest and pulling out a massive sword. "Now that's just fucked up." Matt muttered as he helped Ryan to his feet.

"What now?" Everyone glanced at Ryan with mild surprise. "What? You can't expect me always have a plan." He complained.

"Geez, always slacking off when we really need you." Matt muttered as he walked over and picked up Lightning Edge. 'That sword's giant. It's gotta be heavy as hell. If Jecht swings and misses then his sword'll probably get stuck in the ground.' A nervous smile crept onto his face slowly. 'But if it doesn't, we're in serious trouble.'

"Ok, anybody got a plan?" Rikku was bouncing from foot to foot nervously.

"Yeah, kick its ass." Matt charged in even as he made the suggestion.

"Hey, save some for me!" Seph complained as he and Tidus started charging Jecht as well. Jecht slammed down with his sword, barely missing Tidus and leaving a deep cut in the ground. Seph's pendulums shot out, wrapping around the massive sword and pinning it to the ground. "Move it, I'll keep him from using his sword!"

"Chidori!" Matt yelled. He charged up the Final Aeon's arm as Andy charged up the opposite arm.

"Combo of Hell!" Andy yelled, his fists glowing red hot. With a cry he punched Jecht in the neck a dozen times before creating a ball of fire in between his hands. Seph cried out in surprise. Andy felt one of Jecht's giant hands closing around him and nearly lost the end of the combo. He gave a determined cry, and hundreds of tiny darts of fire launched themselves into Jecht's neck just as Matt drove his Chidori into the other side. Jecht cried out in pain and dropped Andy.

"I'm not done yet!" Matt yelled, a Chidori forming in his other hand. "Give. It. Up!" He pulled the first arm out and shoved the second Chidori into the same spot he'd shoved the first one into. This time his arm went up to the elbow and Jecht roared in pain again before grabbing him and throwing him to the ground. "Son of a bitch!" he cried out as a jagged piece of rock drove itself through his leg.

"Ryan!" the angel glanced over at the former assassin. "I hope you've got one last trick up your sleeve."

Ryan grinned. "I might, dunno if it has any chance of working though."

"Damn… pessimist!" Matt complained before pulling his leg up and off the rock. After a moment of shock Yuna started to cast a healing spell on it and Ryan just smiled.

"What the hell, why not." he sighed.

"Wind Cutter won't work on him." Auron warned.

Ryan sheathed his sword and turned to face the powerful swordsman. "You forget, Auron. I didn't spend my entire life learning swordsmanship like you did. I'm not limited to sword attacks." Auron raised an eyebrow but Ryan just put his hand on the top of his head. "This could take a little to get started."

Wakka's blitzball flashed out. In mid-air its blades started to gather ice on them. Auron, Kimahri, and Tidus charged in, stabbing and cutting up any part of Jecht they could reach. Rae and Yuna both summoned Anima, which started to fire into the more powerful Aeon without much effect. Lulu started hurling Ultima spells as fast as she could, and Rikku threw grenades with both hands as quickly as she could.

"Tidus, I'll open a hole, you finish it, ok?" Tidus nodded and Ryan pressed the tip of his right pointer finger against the tip of Wind Cutter's blade, which almost immediately drew blood, but also a soft silvery light. 'I hope this works.' Ryan thought grimly as he made a gun out of his injured hand and pointed it at Jecht. He felt Lusniec's power rushing to his fingertip and took a deep breath. He held the pose for a few seconds, until he was barely able to keep the amount of energy under control. He pictured the hammer of a handgun in his mind as he said, "Here we go! Holy Punishment!" The hammer in his mind slammed down and a massive wave of Holy energy burst out of Ryan's finger and slammed into Jecht's chest.

Tidus charged in and slashed his father a couple of times before driving his sword into the ground and jumping off the hilt. "Wakka!" he yelled just before reaching the peak of his jump. Wakka took careful aim before throwing World Champion to Tidus. The younger blitzer spun in mid-air and kicked the ball into his father's chest, the blades biting into Jecht deeply, and then there was a giant explosion that destroyed part of the ledge they were standing on.

"Tidus! I said finish him, not blow us up!" Ryan complained as he flew out and grabbed his friend by the back of the shirt before his friend could fall into the lava. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Jecht falling down as well. He hurled Tidus towards the ledge and took off after Jecht, who was still aware enough to reach up and grab Ryan's hand.

"Dad!" Tidus yelled when Ryan landed and put the wounded man down gently.

"You'll cry. You're gonna cry." Jecht told Tidus as his son leaned over him. "You always cry. See? You're cryin'."

"I… hate you, dad." Tidus whispered through tears.

"Save it for later." Jecht ordered his son, who stopped crying almost immediately.

"Right… we've got a job to do, don't we?" Jecht nodded approvingly.

"Good. That's right." A proud smile crossed his face. "You are my son, after all."

"You know… for the first time, I'm glad… to have you as my father." Jecht gave his son a small laugh.

"Sir Jecht… I should…"

"No, Yuna," Jecht cut her off, "there's no time!" A black spider looking thing started flying towards him.

"You stay away!" Tidus yelled, swinging at the thing desperately to protect his father.

"Yuna, you know what to do. The Aeons… call them!" Jecht disappeared after the last order.

"Yes." Yuna whispered.

"Here it comes!" Lulu warned. There was a flash of light and the group was in a purple, mist filled void.

"Bullshit." Matt muttered. "You mean the Fayth live in the same place Yu Yevon lives in?"

"Who cares? Let's just kill the bastard and get this over with!" Andy suggested.

"Yuna!" The Summoner nodded and summoned Valefor. Immediately the black spider thing slammed into the familiar Aeon. It slowly turned dark, and evil looking as Yu Yevon's power coursed through it. A silent tear ran down Yuna's face as Rae summoned her own Valefor. The two Aeons starred each other down for a second before each unleashed a powerful blast of energy. The sudden brightness caused everyone to turn away, and several seconds later Rae screamed out in horror. Seph shielded his eyes and opened them as wide as possible only to find the Dark Valefor floating before him, untouched.

"Bastard!" all forty of his pendulums flew towards the Aeon, which in turn took to the air. It darted back and forth, dodging the numerous blades with surprising ease.

"This is gonna take some work." Ryan muttered as the Aeon started to rush towards them, Seph's pendulums close behind. A grenade flew past him, along with several spells and an arrow. Dark Valefor twisted and turned in mid-air, narrowly avoiding each attack. As it went into a barrel roll to avoid an arrow, World Champion soared through the air, burying itself into the vulnerable spot where the right wing attached to the body. The Aeon let out a cry of pain as it fell onto the ground, which turned out to be the massive sword Jecht had used, a fact that had been overlooked in the excitement of the battle.

"Move!" Auron ordered as he charged towards the downed Aeon, his sword dragging along the ground as he went. He stopped right in front of Valefor and took a baseball like swing at it while Tidus did a couple of flips before slashing down on the Aeon. Kimahri launched bubbles out of his mouth, something that did a surprising amount of damage. The Aeon shrieked and burst into pyreflies under the force of the assault.

Next Yuna summoned Ifrit. Again Yu Yevon possessed the Aeon, and again it turned dark and evil looking. Lulu launched several Blizzaraga spells at the Aeon, and much to everyone's surprise Rikku imitated the attack. World Champion slammed into the Aeon's chest, but Ifrit didn't seemed bothered by it as he brought up a wall of fire to stop the ice attacks. Andy gave a short, grim laugh and the wall of fire split in half, and the ice attacks slammed into the Aeon. Now it roared in pain, and launched two Firaga spells at Lulu, and two at Rikku.

"Insulting." Andy complained, two of the spells curving away from their intended target and slamming into the others while Ryan and Seph charged Ifrit.

"I've got this! Hiten Mitsurugi Style Kuzu Ryu Sen!" Ryan's sword disappeared for a second and then nine blades appeared. Each powerful thrust ran the powerful Aeon threw, killing it almost instantly. Yu Yevon reappeared with what sounded like an angry hiss, waiting for the group to make its next move. This time Rae summoned Ixion, and Yu Yevon drove himself into the proud Aeon, instantly corrupting it with his evil.

Dark Ixion roared, and bolts of black electricity shot out, one for each member of the group. "Ryan, draw them towards me!" Instantly Ryan took off, his own bolt of electricity arching around to follow him as he ran past the lighting heading for the others, particularly Seph. And much to his horror, despite running as fast as he could, the lightning was gaining on him. "Duck!" The angel obeyed, launching himself forward and onto the ground. All of the bolts flew over him and slammed into Matt, who sat there with an amused look on his face. "Yevon, I'm hurt. Is that really all you can do?"

Ixion bellowed a challenge that Matt quickly accepted via a flying axe to the Aeon's leg. As blood poured out of the crippled Aeon the group closed in, melee fighters protecting the spell casters. With a last reserve of strength Ixion jumped forward, nearly impaling Rikku, and dealing a glancing blow to Seph. Electricity shot through the assassin's body as he screamed and dropped to the ground in a smoking heap of pain.

"Curaga!" Ryan and Yuna cast the spell at the same time. The powerful white magic took affect immediately, the cut and the burns healing completely. Seph sat up and tested his side gingerly before standing up.

"Thanks." The two simply smiled as Rae summoned Shiva. "Wonderful, the agile one."

"Can't dodge what you can't see, right?" Ryan asked, glancing first from Andy then back to Seph.

"You got a plan?"

Andy looked at Seph like he was stupid. "Don't you know? Ryan's always got something up his sleeve, and if not, it's in his pocket."

"That's quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say, you know that?" Andy shrugged. "Anyway, what do you have in mind?"

"Smoke screen." Seph looked at him oddly for a second before glancing at Andy. His eyes sparkled with eagerness as the realization slowly dawned on him. He quickly pulled on his white cloak and turned to Ryan.

"Works for me."

"Andy, wall of fire around Shiva, ASAP." The fires were already bursting into life as Ryan gave the command. "Seph, you're up." The assassin nodded, and Ryan and Matt slipped around behind Shiva with enough stealth to surprise even Seph. He turned to face the ice Aeon whom Yu Yevon had finished merging with. Tiny droplets of water began to fall out of the air, each one causing some steam to rise when it hit the fire. Shiva looked around in confusion before her eyes went wide with understanding. She tried to jump out of the smoke screen, but only succeeded on cutting herself on Wind Cutter's blade. She jumped back and ducked just before Lightning Edge came in at head level. Shiva jerked when Matt's second axe slammed into her ribs, cutting almost completely through the small Aeon.

"Got her!" Matt yelled over the still building smoke screen, Shiva disappearing into pyreflies at his feet.

"We're gonna summon both Bahamuts!" Yuna shouted to them. "Please, be ready!" Almost immediately afterwards the first dragon landed on the sword, the second following closely. They looked around, confused until they spotted Yu Yevon. The insane god studied them for a second, and his next move horrified everyone. He split in two.

"Bullshit!" Matt yelled in frustration, as both Aeons were possessed at the same time. One turned to face the main group while the other starred down Ryan and Matt. In unison they charged.

The first fired a couple of energy balls at Andy, all of which were deflected by his wall of fire. "Combo of Hell!" his fist grew red hot and he punched Bahamut in the leg a few times. The Aeon roared in pain as the fire needles started to form in Andy's hand. With a mighty roar Bahamut backhanded the god, breaking up the combo and sending Andy skidding across the sword before anyone could help him.

With a swing of his heavy sword Auron kept the giant dragon from finishing his friend off by forcing it to defend against his attack. But instead of dodging like he'd expected, Bahamut simply grabbed the sword by the blade and jerked it out wide. The dragon roared as it shoved its free hand into the guardian, its claws digging into his flesh enough to cause him blinding pain, but nothing fatal as far as he could tell. Bahamut raised its free clawed hand to strike Auron down for good, but Kimahri hurled his new spear threw it, earning a roar of pain from Bahamut and distracting it as Tidus ran towards Auron.

"Spiral Cut!" The blitzball star did a few acrobatic moves before jumping up and brining his sword down on the wrist of the hand that was embedded in Auron. For a second he thought that it wouldn't give, but it did, much to the relief of everyone who had time to worry about it. Matt and Ryan were not in such a situation.

"Yuna and Rae just couldn't summon them one at a time!" Matt complained as he threw his normal axe to the ground. Before he had a chance to drop Lightning Edge, Bahamut's attack forced him to bring it up in a two-handed guard. Even with both hands pushing against the Aeon's one he was barely able to hold off the attack. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bahamut's other claw rose high above it's head. 'Hurry up, Ryan!' he thought as the attack started towards him.

Then Ryan was above the massive Aeon, sword raised high over his head. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Tsui Sen!" Bahamut whirled around in surprise, nearly knocking Matt of the edge of the sword. Ryan dropped like a rock, but even with the power of gravity and his wings behind his attack it barely scratched the giant Aeon. "Wonderful." Just then a giant wolf made out of lighting came charging across the sword towards Bahamut, with a weaponless, tired, annoyed looking Matt on its back.

"Go to hell!" Yamu jumped at Bahamut's head. The dragon swung at it with a roar, and Matt jumped off it just a few seconds before the claw hit. Or would have. A split second before Bahamut would have killed Yamu the wolf disappeared, and all of the lightning that made it flowed into Matt, who was close enough to Bahamut's face to punch him. And he did, right in the eye.

"Show off." Ryan muttered with relief as the Aeon roared in pain. Before it had the chance to reach up and tear Matt off its face 100,000 volts of electricity coursed through Matt's arm and into Bahamut's defenseless insides. With one last roar the Aeon exploded, covering the two, and the back of the other Aeon, in blood and guts. "What'd you do to that thing?"

"If it was too hard to hurt on the outside, it must be soft on the inside, right?" Matt asked mockingly, and Ryan replied with a laugh.

"Guess being a crazy bastard is starting to rub off on you."

"No, I've always been a crazy bastard." Matt told his friend with a smile. "But right now, we've got to get that other one's attention. And I don't have enough for another Chidori."

Ryan stood up, Wind Cutter glowing softly. "You know, I think I've got enough in me for one last Wind Cutter." He brought the sword up over his head and held it there for a second, barely able to find the depleted energy that the Wind Cutter stemmed from. "Wind Cutter!" He slashed down, putting the last of his magical reserves into the swing. A silver line flashed out and slammed into the remaining Aeon's back. Bahamut roared and arched its back in pain. It roared again as several icicles burst through its chest, and again when Auron cut off one of its legs.

"What kept you?" The exhausted man demanded.

"Hey, we had to fight one too." The group's laugh was strained. "Of course, we've still got more to go, don't we? Yojimbo, both Anima, and then all the normal ones for Rae."

"No, I'm not summoning anymore." The Al Bhed told them. When they looked at her like she was crazy she elaborated, "I'm exhausted. I haven't done this in several years, remember?"

"Well then I guess it's just Yojimbo and one Anima." Matt commented sarcastically as Yuna stepped forward to summon the blade-for-hire Aeon. It appeared, slowly evaluating the area before turning to Yuna questioningly. Another tear rolled down her face as Yu Yevon slammed into the proud Aeon's back. It seemed like Yu Yevon was getting tired, since it took him longer to posses Yojimbo then it had for the others, a fact not lost on anyone in the group. Matt leaned over towards Ryan and asked jokingly, "Time for some pay back?"

"We'll see." Ryan offered before the possessed Aeon drew its short sword, cutting the main group with pure air. Andy and Seph managed to deflect most of the attack with their power, but even so Rae, who'd been sitting down, was the only one to escape without some injury.

Kimahri roared and jumped at the Aeon, teeth barred and claws ready. Yojimbo stepped to the side, slamming the butt of his sword into Kimahri's neck casually. The Ronso dropped to the ground with a thud, but before Yojimbo's downward thrust could kill him Auron charged in. His giant sword flashed straight down.

Yojimbo stepped to the side, ducking so that Tidus' swing also missed. When he straightened he found himself face to face with Seph. The assassin smiled slightly as the group created a circle around the dangerous Aeon, and their equally dangerous friend.

"Careful Seph. He's got more weapons then just his sword." Yuna gasped and Rae moaned. Everyone but Seph turned to look at the two.

"Where's his dog?" A growl from behind the group answered Yuna's questioned. Slowly the group turned to face the armored pet.

"Oh boy." Matt muttered as the dog charged him. It dove and the group parted, letting its first attack pass by harmlessly. Next it jumped at Tidus, but the blitzer easily dodge the attack, and got in a long slash on the dog's underside.

"You guys got this without me?" Matt looked at Ryan with a thoroughly insulted look. "Ok, I get the point. I'm going to help Seph, ok?"

"Whatever, just kill that damn samurai quickly, would you?" Ryan rolled his eyes at his friend's request.

"Easy for you to say. You're the one fight the dog." Ryan replied dryly as he walked up towards Yojimob's back. The Aeon was dodging some of Seph pendulums, but roughly half of them were lying on the ground, split cleanly into two pieces. 'Must be that special attack of his.'

"What kept you?" Seph asked in an irritated voice. Ryan raised an eyebrow, immediately noticing that something wasn't right with the assassin's voice. It wasn't just the emotion… it almost sounded like he was straining to keep it even. "Well, don't just stand there, help me out!"

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style…" Ryan smiled and let the sentence die on his lips as Yojimbo stopped and turned to face him. "So we meet again. It's been awhile." The Aeon nodded and Ryan glanced at Seph. The assassin was crouching close to the ground, panting heavily, and holding his side, which was bleeding badly. "Seph, rinno ib yht cdub pmaatehk. E'mm pa ugyo ihdem drah. (Seph, hurry up and stop bleeding. I'll be okay until then)" The assassin didn't bother to acknowledge he'd even heard the comment, but he did begin to dig through his pack for a potion, carefully watching the two swordsman circle. Watching Ryan enter a fight so calmly, and with so much caution wasn't something Seph was used to, and he was beginning to wonder exactly how strong Yojimbo was, and how much power he'd gained from merging with Yu Yevon.

A "Yelp" from Yojimbo's dog sent the two swordsmen charging. Yojimbo drew his short sword, an attack that Seph was all too familiar with. Whatever it was that Yojimbo did, it was enough to cut through his pendulums. Apparently Ryan knew about the attack. He jumped over whatever was behind Yojimbo's attack, although Seph personally suspected a vacuum, and raised his sword over his head.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style, Ryu Tsui Sen!" The swords clashed together so powerfully that the ground beneath Yojimbo cracked more then a little, but the Aeon had no trouble stopping the attack. With one hand he easily pushed Ryan back into the air. The teen landed in a crouch, just managing to duck under a slash from Yojimbo's sword. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Sho Sen!" Ryan put his hand on the back of his sword and jumped up at the Aeon's neck as fast as he could. At the last second the Aeon's head jerked back, barely avoiding the attack. 'Bastard!'

Much to the surprise of Seph and Ryan, Yojimbo didn't kill Ryan. Instead he jumped back, sheathed his sword, and held up one hand with two slightly bent fingers. Ryan's face lost some of its color, and Seph had a bad feeling as the ground started to turn the same color it turned when Anima was summoned. Only this summon brought out a long sword, which Yojimbo wasted no time in unsheathing.

'This can't be good.' Seph's fears were confirmed when the two blades met. Tentacles of black energy leaked out and pinned Wind Cutter against the demonic blade, preventing Ryan from using it in any way. "Get out of there!" Ryan glared at the Aeon before letting go of Wind Cutter and ducking down. With his left hand and foot on the ground he kicked up, his foot connecting with the off-balanced Aeon's stomach and launching it into the air. As it rose into the air two fire spells slammed into it, along with world champion and an arrow, each knocking it a little further into the air, and knocking Wind Cutter free in the process.

"Perfect." Ryan muttered as his hand wrapped around the familiar hilt. With a smirk he pushed off the ground. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Sho Sen!" Ryan lost his confidence as he rose. Yojimbo's sword was glowing and it was raised over its head. With a might slash it unleashed its ultimate attack. Ryan twisted as much as he could to avoid the attack, but the bubble of water around him was the only thing that saved him, and even that was barely able to deflect the attack. As the water disperse Yojimbo, in all its heavy armor, and with all its concealed weapons, began to plummet towards Ryan's blade. He raised his sword in front of his face, but otherwise made no move to defend itself. The two blades clashed and they warriors seemed to freeze for a second before Yojimbo's sword broke, the top piece just barely missing Ryan's head, but still slicing up his shoulder. Even as Wind Cutter cut through his neck Yojimbo made no noise, dying as quietly as possible.

"Geez, over do it or something?" Seph questioned as Ryan began to drop limply towards the ground. At the last second he spun around and landed much like a cat.

Ryan laughed slightly. "I do have a tendency to do that."

"We've only got two more battles to go people, so suck it up and keep going." Matt's voice was joking, but nobody was laughing. "And Yuna, maybe we should heal up before you summon Anima."

Everyone sat down as Yuna went around and healed everyone's worst wounds. When she was done everyone stood back up, but an uncomfortable silence had fallen over the group. It didn't lift as Anima appeared before them, nor did it lift when Yu Yevon possessed the dark Aeon.

'So here we are.' Matt thought, partially relieved, and partially saddened. 'Only these two battles, and then we're going home…' A wave of regret washed over him but he was forced to worry about it later as Anima began its attack on the group. Blast of energy slammed into the sword, cracking it even more then it already was. The group surrounded the powerful Aeon, so Anima simply knocked out Auron and Kimahri who had been in front of it. It turned at what seemed impossible speeds for something without legs, and blasted at Tidus, who managed to roll out of the way.

Before Anima could attack Tidus again a grenade exploded where it met the ground, not doing any real damage, but still surprising the Aeon long enough for Tidus to get away, and for the group to get in a few good hits.

Wakka's blitzball slammed into the Aeon's head, while Lulu assaulted the Aeon with fire spells in an attempt to burn off the protective bandages wrapped around it. Matt charged in with Lightning Edge in both hands and started to hack at Anima's side, the god-forged weapon breaking through the bonds slowly but breaking them nonetheless. Ryan started hacking into the Aeon's other side as quickly as he could, although Wind Cutter wasn't doing much damage. Seph tried repeatedly to jab the Aeon in the eye, but was quickly reduced to only two pendulums for his effort when Anima started to blast the incoming pendulums with energy. Auron and Kimahri got up and charged into the fight as well. Auron's massive sword came down in unison with Lightning Edge, and Kimahri's spear dove into Anima's flesh repeatedly. Yuna began to cast powerful holy magic, while Tidus slashed Anima's front and Rikku stole things from behind it. Suddenly Tidus drove his sword into the ground and jumped off it. Without missing a beat Wakka hurled World Champion to his friend, who kicked it into the Aeon. It stuck into the Aeon for a second before a giant explosion launched it back to Wakka. The group waited for the smoke to clear, only to find Anima still standing.

"No way…" Ryan muttered in awe. 'What the hell is this thing? I mean, sure, it is the strongest Aeon, but come on.' Suddenly Anima bent to one side, pyreflies slowly leaking out of the multitude of cuts the group had managed to inflict.

"Was anyone else worried there?" Matt asked as he sat down to catch his breath. Everyone in the group murmured in agreement while sitting down to catch their breath as well. They watched as the pyreflies stopped coming out of Anima, and were replaced by the black form of Yu Yevon.

"It's the giant tick of doom!" Andy yelled, pointing at Yu Yevon who was beginning to pull itself back together.

"Everyone! This is the last time we fight together, okay?" Everyone starred at Tidus like he was crazy. "What I'm trying to say is… after we beat Yu Yevon, I'll disappear!"

"What are you talking about?" Tidus ignored the confused looks as he stepped towards Yu Yevon.

"I'm saying good-bye!"

"Not now!" Rikku yelled at him.

"I know it's selfish… but this is my story!" before anyone could argue with Tidus the form of Yu Yevon completed itself and attacked as two large pieces of what looked like rock floated next to it. A blue laser shot out of one of the things legs, missing Tidus by an inch at most. The group flew into motion as the other legs began to add to the assault. Yuna struck the god first, blasting him with a powerful holy spell that momentarily caused the bug to stop attacking. Auron charged in and slashed the god, the familiar black poison like thing that caused the receiver to become a zombie leaking into the god.

The two rocks turned to the god and started to cast healing spells on him. Auron allowed himself a grim grin of satisfaction as Yu Yevon withered under the healing magic's effect. The suffering increased more when Rikku started throwing healing potions and Yuna started to bombard it with healing magic.

"Star Player, coming through!" Tidus cried as he did a bunch of flips and cut the god. Yu Yevon let out something along the lines of a screech as the legendary weapon bit into its flesh. As soon as the screech ended Wakka's blitzball, surrounded by fire, ice, water, and lighting slammed into the god, drawing another, much longer, and much louder screech.

Another wave of blue lasers forced the group to go on the defensive again. While the group was dodging the Yu Yevon took the liberty of curing his zombie status, and then healing himself a little bit. Had Wakka not intervened by throwing World Champion into one of the rocks that, for a reason beyond the group's ability to comprehend, were able to cast healing magic, and blowing the thing up Yu Yevon would've been fully healed before restarting the fight. As it was the god had far more stamina then the battered group did combined.

'Bad, very bad.' Seph thought as he watched the god lasers closely. One shot through the ground next to him, and another grazed this opposite leg. He dropped to the ground and rolled back, barely avoiding a third laser. When he regained his bearings he found himself at the edge of the sword, with nowhere to run and another laser racing for him.

His body reacted long before his mind perceived the danger, calling upon reactions honed from years of assassinations. He rolled off the side of the sword, and his right pendulum shot up through one of the holes Yu Yevon's laser had punched in the steel. He launched his other pendulum into the next closest hole in the steel. The blade went up, then came back down through the first hole and tied itself in a knot. A laser shot through the steel a few inches next to him and he winced as a piece of steel dug into his arm. 'Guess it's time to get back in the fight.' He thought, but before he could start back up Tidus' sword went flying over the edge of the sword. Seph's right pendulum shot out and the string wrapped around the hilt.

"Tidus, catch!" Seph yelled when he was back on the sword. With a flick of his wrist he threw Tidus back his sword. The blitzer caught it just in time to block a laser, which bounced off the sword rather then punching a hole through it.

"You're kidding me." Matt muttered in an annoyed voice. The spun around, Lightning Edge knocking away two lasers while hurling his spare axe into Yu Yevon's body. The god let out another cry of pain that Seph silenced from behind. His pendulums wrapped around Yu Yevon's body and everyone who'd been at Macalania felt like they were watching the death of the unknown assassin all over again as Seph burst through the falling pieces of Yu Yevon like he was the god of death rather then the god of water.

"Geez, overkill." Andy's voice seemed bored despite the fact that they'd just killed Yu Yevon.

"Hmph. Always showing off." Rae commented lightheartedly. Seph shrugged and brushed some of the gore off himself as he walked towards the rest of the battered group. "So, now what? I mean, we killed Yu Yevon himself. Is there really anything left to do?"

"Killed me?" The voice was raspy and came as much from every direction of the never-ending void as it did from inside their heads. "You see, you're short a few people."

'A few people? But we should only be short one person.' Matt's mind raced to come up with an answer he knew it didn't have. His heart sank and a wave of fear passed over him. He glanced around and noticed that Ryan, Seph, and Andy were shaking too, but the others seemed oblivious to the terror they were feeling.

"Ryan, move!" Seph yelled suddenly, his pendulums already flying towards something behind the Hiten Mitsurugi Style master. Ryan spun around while he ducked, driving his sword into a massive arm and cutting a several inch long cut in it as well. Rikku screamed in horror as a black, spiked gauntlet wrapped around Ryan's neck.

Ryan's eyes widened in horror and he attempted to cry out in horror, but nothing escaped. The group watched in horror as their friend's eyes widened and then glazed over when a loud snap echoed in the darkness.

"Ryan?" Rikku's voice quivered and she gasped when the hand let him go and he hit the ground limply. "No! Ryan!"

"You piece of shit." Matt muttered through clenched teeth as Yu Yevon materialized out of the air in front of him. He was somewhere around eight feet tall, and he had on a suit of spiked, black full plate armor on. He carried around a massive morning star in his right hand, and his left hand was reaching for an equally large mace, the head of which was as big as Kimahri's head. 'What on earth?' Matt wondered as the sword in front of him started to glow bright red. He stepped back and felt himself hit a barrier of heat as he walked passed Andy, who was surrounded by a small wall of fire.

"Yevon!" the enraged god yelled. The armor-clad god looked at the teen with an amused look on his face. "Requiem of Fire!" The air in-between the two erupted into flames, engulfing the gods instantly. Yuna and her guardians listened with amazed horror as Yu Yevon screamed in pain. Flaming bits of armor flew out of the square of fire, sometimes accompanied by pieces of flesh or entire fingers.

After a few minutes the fire started to die down, but an amazing thunderstorm took its place. Lightning crashed down all around the group, but no one cried out in fear or surprise. The bolts didn't disappear when they hit though. Instead they sat there, slowly changing into copies of Matt until four were standing next to him, and five were standing behind the burnt form of Yu Yevon.

"Matt, kick his ass!" Andy yelled while pointing at Yu Yevon, but too exhausted himself to be able to finish the fight. Eight bolts of lightning collided in mid-air and jumped down into Matt's hand. Then another eight merged and jumped down into his hand, followed by another eight, and another set of eight. Each copy mirrored the original, four groups of eight lightning bolts jumping into each of the waiting copies.

"Yu Yevon," The god looked up at him with a hate-filled glare, "It's time for you to die. You've killed one person too many!" The god's reply was drowned out by the sound of ten Chidoris becoming two. "Now go to hell!" The god looked at Matt in horror. The Chidori was so big that Matt and the four clones that had appeared were barely able to hold it up, and in size it looked like it was twice as big as a beach ball. The group of clones behind Yu Yevon slammed theirs into the god. The Chidori engulfed Yu Yevon, the sound of electricity drowning out his screams of pain. As he flew forward in his ball of electricity the real Matt's group slammed theirs into him. What little armor the god had left exploded, and blood splattered as everywhere as the flying metal shot through Yu Yevon before shattering the cage of lightning.

"Holy shit." Seph muttered, voicing the thought everyone else was thinking as the clones of Matt disappeared and the real one collapsed. "What was that?"

"Apparently… painful." Mat muttered as a tear slid down his face, silencing Seph's sarcastic comment.

"Andy, move!" Auron yelled. The teen looked at him questioningly and then was slammed face first into the ground by Yu Yevon's final attack. The demented god coughed up blood, and with an insane smile rolled off the edge of the sword. A scream signified his landing on whatever the ground was like far below, and a set of black pyreflies floating up confirmed that this time he was actually dead.

"We've got to get out of here!" Rae yelled as the black void was replaced by Sin. Matt and Andy grabbed Ryan's body but nearly dropped it out of surprise.

"He's still breathing!" Andy's statement caused the group to stop instantly. "Yuna, he's not dead yet!"

"But we're out of healing potions! And I can't cast anymore magic!" her voice showed how helpless she felt. The wind picked up until it was almost like the group was back on Gagazet.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I came after all." Lusniec sounded amused as he appeared behind Matt and Andy, both of whom instantly spun around to watch him, weapons at the ready. "Now, now boys. I'm the one who's going to kill Ryan, not Yu Yevon. And it won't mean anything if it isn't a fair fight."

"What are you getting at?"

"Nobody's allowed to kill Ryan but me, so he can't die here." Lusniec stated simply as he pointed a finger at Ryan. Immediately the boy's shallow breathing returned to normal, and his eyes opened slowly.

"What the hell kept you, you freak." He muttered as he sat up slowly. Lusniec smiled and Matt raised an eyebrow while Andy starred in open confusion. "What?"

"What kept you, you freak? It sounds like you knew he was gonna save you." Ryan smiled at Matt's comment.

"Well, after I died I went to his realm. Scared the shit outta me at first, but when he explained what had happened and that I 'wasn't allowed to die' until he killed me, I pretty much figured that he was gonna--" he was cut off by Rikku who tackled him. "Do that." He finished with a smile. "Hi."

"Ahem." Jecht's rather loud sound drew all attention back to him. Yuna nodded and started to walk forward, already starting to perform the sending.

"Auron?" Matt cried in surprise. His comment caused Yuna to glance back and notice that Auron had pyreflies leaking out of him. "That'd certainly explain a lot."

"Don't stop." Yuna seemed like she was barely holding back tears after his comment.

"But I…"

"It's alright." The unsent said with an unusually warm voice. "It's been long enough. This is your world now."

"Hey Auron!" The unsent looked at Ryan who smiled. "Thanks for all your help. It must have sucked for you." The older guardian smiled but said nothing as he disappeared completely with Jecht.

"Hey!" The group turned to face Lusniec who was standing behind a portal. "This will lead you right back to your airship. Hurry or Sin'll come down on top of you." As if he'd planned it the giant fiend started to fall apart as the group rushed into the portal.

"Yuna, go send it!" Lulu yelled as soon as they were on the airship. The Summoner was already sprinting down the hallways towards the elevator, her friends at her heels. As soon as they were on the deck Yuna began the sending of Sin and the Aeons. At the end the sending Sin exploded into billions of pyreflies which flew out in all directions, their normally bright colors even brighter against the setting sun.

"Yuna, I have to go." Tidus whispered. All of his friends turned to look at him only to find him slowly turning into pyreflies. "I'm sorry I couldn't show you Zanarkand. Good-bye!" By this time Tidus was at the edge of the airship.

"Hey!" Wakka yelled desperately trying to stall for time.

"We're gonna see you again…?" Rikku asked with a sad voice.

"Yuna!" Kimahri yelled as the Summoner tried to hug him but succeeded only in passing through him. She got up silently and Tidus wrapped his arms around her shoulders in an embrace that she couldn't feel.

"I love you." She whispered to him quietly. Tidus walked through her and jumped off the edge of the ship and into the clouds that were painted yellow by the sunset.

"I guess it's your turn, isn't it?" Rikku asked Ryan quietly. He squeezed her hand but said nothing. "Take these." She handed him her goggles. I want you to hold onto them till you come back. That way you know that if you fool around with anyone else, I'll kick your butt when you come back, ok?" Although she was trying to make a joke she couldn't help but cry, which drew the rest of the groups attention onto them.

"Hey brudda, what're you doing to her know?" As if to answer Wakka's question a portal appeared in front of Matt. "Wait, you don't mean that you guys gotta go home too, ya?"

"Sorry Wakka. But there's something we've gotta do there." Matt told him sadly. "But we'll be back. The Fayth said that it wouldn't take more then three years."

"Rikku, hang onto this for me, would you?" Ryan asked as he handed her his necklace, using Matt's voice to hide his own. She nodded and stood up. "Listen, I'll be back ok? And believe me, I'm not gonna forget you." Rikku nodded and Andy tapped Matt on the back of the shoulder.

"Bye." She whispered before stepping back sadly.

"Hey, don't take too long bruddas. It's gonna be boring around here now, ya?" Wakka said sadly.

"Yes, and you'll always be welcome in Besaid." Lulu added with a smile.

"And here in the airship!" Rikku added.

"Home of Ronso will always welcome friends of Kimahri." The Ronso added.

"Well, wherever we are, you're always more then welcome to join us." Seph added.

"Yes, please hurry back." Yuna added.

"Hey, don't worry about it. And Yuna," The Summoner looked Matt in the eyes, "we'll try and find a way to bring Tidus back. So don't worry about it, ok? I have a feeling we'll all see him in Spira again some day." The Summoner nodded and smiled.

"I know. Thank you." She offered before the friends walked through the portal. As soon as Ryan was through, having been the last one, the portal closed, leaving the shattered group to deal with the turn of events in their own way.

888

"Thank you." The three Fayth said as Matt, Andy, and Ryan walked into the familiar purple mist filled void. "Yu Yevon will be too weak to do anything for awhile. You must hurry and find the god of ice, and then return to Spira. We will try and send a guide to help you, but it may take several days."

_"Everyone…everyone has lost something precious" _the words sounded like they were drifting to the group from far away, but they could tell that it was Yuna talking.

"What's that?" Matt demanded.

"Yuna is giving a speech to the people of Spira. Would you like to listen to it before you go back to your world?" The three nodded and the words resumed.

_"Everyone has lost homes, dreams, and friends. Everybody… now, Sin is finally dead." _There was a great cheer from the crowd. _"Now, Spira is ours again. Working together… now we can make new homes for ourselves, and new dreams. Although I know the journey will be hard, we have lots of time. Together, we will rebuild Spira. The road is ahead of us, so let's start out today!" _the crowd cheered again. _"Just, one more thing… the people and the friends that we have lost, or the dreams that have faded… never forget them."_

The Fayth smiled at the boys who were crying to themselves silently. "I know it must be hard, to be ripped away from those you've come to love after three months, but you will be back. Your destiny still lies in Spira, but to reach you destiny you need to come back to you world. We truly are sorry…" The Fayth started to disappear as darkness took the three into a deep, peaceful sleep.

888

_"They're coming around! Someone get a doctor!" _the woman's voice seemed distant to Matt as he slowly began to regain consciousness. Slowly his sense came back to him. First his hearing came back, accompanied by the sound of someone pacing around him and a heart monitor; next came smell which brought the sterile smell of a doctor's office; next was touch, which brought with it the sensation of his entire body being asleep and the feeling that something was tapped to his arm; taste came next, but brought little with it but the taste of Lysol; and lastly came sight which showed him that someone was pacing around his bed.

"Mom?" His voice sounded hoarse even to himself.

"Matt! You're awake!" Matt's mom threw her arms around him, nearly crushing him in the hug.

"Ma'am you're going to have to step away from him for a few moments. We've got to run a few tests on him." A doctor told her as he came in with two nurses trailing him. Matt's mom let him go and ran out of the room to call the rest of the family, leaving Matt alone with the doctor. "Now then, it's good you're finally staying awake." Matt raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "You've been slipping in and out of consciousness for the past few hours."

"You said you had some tests to run?" Matt asked as the doctor sat down.

"That is correct." The doctor admitted.

"Screw that." Matt muttered. He got out of the bed and only found himself starring eye to eye with one of the nurses. They guy was six feet tall as far as Matt could tell, and was built like a rock.

"Please sit down sir." The nurse ordered, flexing his muscles imposingly. Matt gave him an amused smile but did as he was told. The nurse removed the needle IV tube from his arm just before an explosion tore through the wall on the far side of the room.

"What in the name of Dnortih!" Matt yelled as he dove off the bed just in time to avoid a rather large rock.

"Oh, my aching head." Andy muttered as he came walking through what remained of the door. "Anybody got some Tylenol?"

"Jeez Andy! Trying to kill me now?" Matt demanded as he stood up. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the scar that the coyote had left on Andy's forearm. "Holy shit… it was real!"

"What? What was real?" The doctor asked.

"Andy, it was real! You were there too, right!" Andy looked at his arm and then smiled as well.

"Oh my god! It's the marks the giant coyote of doom left!" He yelled joyfully. "It was really real! OH my god, they're all real!" He stopped suddenly. "But if it was real then Ryan was there too! Where's Ryan?"

"If you're talking about the other kid that got shot, he died. A half hour ago." The doctor told them sadly. When they started laughing he looked up at them like they were insane. 'That coma must have taken its toll on them after all.'

"Oh my god. I pity the person who's doing that autopsy." Matt muttered through his laughter.

"Yeah, wait till Ryan wakes up with a scalpel to his eye. He'll kick the guys ass before he realizes where he is!"

"Think we should go find him?" Before Andy could answer Matt's question three security guards came running into the room. They took one look before jumping at Andy and Matt. "What the hell!" Matt demanded as the two jumped away, easily avoiding the attack. One of the guards came after him with a nightstick.

"You need to lay down sir. You're in no condition to be up and moving around. Security, we didn't call for you, please leave now." The doctor yelled.

"These two are responsible for the explosion." One of the guards yelled accusingly before taking a slash at Andy with his nightstick. Andy simply caught it with his hand and looked at the guard like he was insulted. Something about the guard's eyes didn't seem quite right to him, but he was forced to duck under another nightstick before he could question why. With a single punch he sent the second guard flying across the room and into a bunch of machines, and the first guard ran out of fear. Suddenly Matt's guard went flying into the back of the retreating guard, knocking them both into the wall and cracking it more then a little.

"Overkill." The two smiled as Ryan walked in through the door. The doctor starred at him in shock.

"But you were dead!"

"Only for half an hour pal." Ryan replied without missing a beat. "Now, I don't feel like staying here anymore. The faster we get out of here, the faster we find the ice god, the faster we get back to Spira, the better off both worlds are, right?" The two nodded.

"How'd you figure it out?" Matt asked as he pulled a pair of his pants that were lying on the dresser next to his bed on, just now noticing that he was the only one that hadn't had pants on.

"Well, I woke up and some dude was trying to cut my eye open, and I use the Ryu Sho Sen on him without meaning to. That was a big clue." Ryan pulled off his shirt and revealed the numerous scars he'd acquired during their time in Spira. "As were these."

"Dude, put it away before Lusniec decides to show up." The comment got Ryan's shirt back on in record time.

"Sorry old man, but we'll be checking ourselves out, ok?" The doctor nodded numbly before the three teens walked out of the hospital.

"Hey Ryan, what's in your pocket?" Matt asked, noticing the slight bulge.

Ryan smiled and reached into his pocket. "That was the biggest clue of all." He said as he slowly pulled out a pair of goggles. Andy and Matt smiled. "And the reason that I'm in such a hurry, if it's ok with you two."

"Seriously, I'm already bored here. The faster we find this god, the faster we go back, and the more likely I am to have fun." Andy and Ryan laughed at their friend's comment, but couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

well, that's that. matt, ryan, and andy are back on earth. but what'll happen now? anyway, my annoucement! lightningwizard had a great idea for another book, and i'm gonna write it eventually, but i wanna see what you all think. who'd like to read about about the gods, and their lives? anyone? well, lemme know in your reviews, and until next time, don't do anything stupid without me! 


	18. Epilogue

Well here we go people. The epilouge of this great story. and i got a new reviewer! hurray! and Seph won the popluarity poll! go seph! so now, onto the reviews!

lightningwizard- yes, finally ryan, matt, and andy get to use their powers on earth. this chapter is... fun.

Shadow Beastl- well thanks for the compliment. don't worry, i won't work on the gods' story until i'm done with the current adventure.

Auron's Fan- YES! muwahahahahaha, and people say i'm too nice for my own good. and i'm not sure, but i THINK that i made your deadline... unless harry potter 6 came out without me knowing.

Da Ker MysTeRr- Oh, the story's not done yet. yes, Lusniec is actually pretty kool, despite being gay. yes, i might have had to... raise the rating if i had shown the part where ryan woke up. don't worry, after i get back from texas, i'm leaving tomorrow and won't be back till monday --, it shouldn't take me TOO long to update the next story. so you're all being warned: PUT ME ON YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR'S LIST SO YOU KNOW WHEN BOOK 2 IS UP!

Sephirothxx- yes, well, it was the last chapter. i had to make it memorable _somehow. _

labrat-seph- yes, yuna's words are really touching. as for the security guards, you should feel sorry for them. i won't tell you why, but you'll find out in book 2.

BOrn-Slippy- yes, the third form of yu yevon was quick. but how much can one god stand when he takes the full force of two pissed gods, right? and you'll just have to wait until book 2: Return of the Gods to find out if the ice person is a god or a godess.

heath 999- wow. all caps, guess you really enjoyed it. and don't worry, i'm starting on Return of the Gods as soon as i get back from texas, which is monday. altho i may be getting a job so it could take a while to update if i _do_manage to get it.

* * *

Epilogue

Matt, Andy, and Ryan found themselves the center of stares running from horrified, to curious, to open disgust when they were able to return to school. It'd been two weeks since they'd woke up in the hospital, and they'd been lucky when the hospital said that it wasn't going to press charges and force them to pay for the repairs.

But right now the only thing that was going through their minds was 'Why the hell are we sitting in Biology, watching the rest of the class take a final that we can't take?' The answer was not in the room since he was the teacher and had to walk around to all the classrooms and give help to anyone who needed it.

The door creaked open so slowly it almost seemed like someone was trying to sneak into the class, but it was just Mr. Riles, their biology teacher. "Is it me, or do you guys not want to be in the last class we were in before going to Spira?" Ryan and Andy nodded vigorously but remained silent as Mr. Riles came into the room.

"Anyone have any questions?" He asked in his monotone voice that truly never changed. Ryan raised his hand and Mr. Riles rolled his eyes. "What?"

"Can we leave? I mean, we aren't taking the final, where is the point in us being here?"

"To show your respect for those in the class that were here all year, so no you may not leave." The three sighed as Mr. Riles walked out of the room.

"Drec ec pimm cred, oui ghuf dryd? Ed'c uin vyimd fa kud crud huf? (This is bull shit, you know that? It's our fault we got shot now?)" Matt and Andy nodded in agreement.

"Fa naymmo haat du kad pylg du Spira (We really need to get back to Spira)." Matt added, drawing even more confused looks from the rest of their biology class. "What? Never heard someone talking in a different language before?" The class went back to their final, more then a little startled by Matt's annoyed tone.

"Yddahdeuh, yddahdeuh! (Attention, attention!)" Ryan hissed which caused Matt to role his eyes.

"Fa zicd kud uid uv y lusy; fa'na kuehk du kad y mud uv yddahdeuh yhofyo. (We just got out of a coma; we're going to get a lot of attention anyway.) Andy pointed out.

"Oayr, pid-- (Yeah, still--)" Ryan was cut off by a scream of terror from the hallway. "What in the name of Dnortih and Vena is going on out there?" he wondered aloud as the three jumped up out of their seats and headed calmly for the door. Mr. Riles came flying in, pale faced and sweating.

The speaker in the room crackled for a second before the principle's worried voice came over it, "Attention all students and staff! We have an emergency situation. A group of thirty of forty coyotes has broken into the school and more are coming. Do not go out into the hallway and get into the closest classroom. Teachers, look the doors and do not open them unless I come back over and give the word. The police are on their way to deal with the problem."

Ryan, Matt and Andy burst into laughter at the terrified faces of their classmates. "Care to share what is so funny?" Mr. Riles asked with a sneer that caused the three to laugh harder. "Stop laughing! This isn't the time for that, do you understand what could happen?"

"Yes!" Matt admitted through his laughter. "They… could get in… here! That'd be… awesome!"

"Oh my god, they're at the window!" The teacher who'd been proctoring the exam shouted. The three spun around in time to see four coyotes crash through the window.

"Andy, Matt!" Ryan reached under his loose over shirt and into the fanny-pack thing that Andy had given back to him before they'd come back from Spira. They'd been surprised that, when they got home, Matt's bow was lying on his bed, and the kunai pouch and the throwing star holder were sitting on Ryan's desk. Andy had found a pair of brass knuckles that he carried around in one of his pockets at all times.

Now Andy had those knuckles out and put them to devastating use against the closest Coyote. He weaved in and out of the things claw raking attacks and slammed a fist into it each chance he got, laughing at the entire time at how easy to beat the things had become.

Matt took a more direct approach. Without any weapons on hand simply fell back on his powers as the god of thunder, as much as it annoyed him to do so. He dodged the first coyote to jump at him and grabbed it by the throat as it passed. Without a second thought he snapped the things neck and turned to face the next coyote. He rolled to the left as it dove at him, but this time he grabbed it by its head and lifted it off the ground. He ignored the things desperate attempts to tear his arm to pieces with its claws, and with a grim smile sent a wave of electricity through its body. Between the strength of his grip and the electricity coursing through it the coyote's head exploded and it fell to the ground in a bloody heap. Matt calmly wiped his hand off on his pant leg and turned to see what was left of the group. He smiled when he saw that Ryan had taken care of the last one and another that had snuck in during the fight, the young angel sitting on the two corpses and watching the class reaction lazily.

"What was that?" Mr. Riles demanded as Ryan put his kunai away and Andy pulled his fist out of the crushed skull of the coyote that he'd been fighting.

"You're the biology specialist, what the fuck's it look like?" Andy asked before he glanced over at the mangled corpses and smiled.

"Not the coyotes, what you _did _to the coyotes!" Mr. Riles yelled.

"That?" Ryan asked smugly. "That was the three of us saving all your asses. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got some coyotes to kill." The biology teacher stepped in the way of the door, but cringed when claws started to rake against it.

"Look, these things are gonna get into the rooms before the cops get here, and you know it. If you don't step aside people are going to die. And Ryan," Matt pointed to his friend who took a sarcastic bow, "is a guardian angel who isn't about to let that happen. So I suggest you move before we're forced to _make _you move."

"You're not leaving this classroom! We were told to stay inside until the cops get here, and we are going to do just that." Mr. Riles yelled, forgetting that the three had just killed five coyotes without breaking a sweat. "Now sit down!"

Ryan stood up slowly and glared at the biology teacher. "Mr. Riles, I must admit that I never really liked you. And now, when I have the power to save peoples lives, you are standing in my way." The teacher was sweating under the angry gazes of the three annoyed teens. "Now, if you don't move, I'm going to enjoy making you move, but you won't. And the best part is that we won't get in as much trouble as you think, since we're going to save peoples' lives." The class gasped as Ryan disappeared and reappeared behind the teacher. "Your choice pal. Step aside and don't get hurt, or force me to hurt you."

"Go back to your seat." Mr. Riles said uncertainly.

Matt and Andy sighed and Ryan smiled. "I was hoping you'd force me to move you." The teen dropped to the ground and put all his pressure on his left side. He kicked the teacher in the chin, just as the teacher had turned to see what he was doing, with his right leg, sending him up and into the weak roof that gave easily. When Mr. Riles started to fall Ryan jumped up and slammed his fist into the teacher's stomach, knocking him out instantly.

"You'd better get those windows barred up." Matt said, pointing to the window the coyotes had already destroyed and the one remaining window. The students nodded numbly and went to work, moving tables in front of them and then leaning against them to make sure that the coyotes didn't just force them over.

"Ok, now once we leave, lock the door behind us and bar that up too." Andy told the class as the three started for the door. Two members of the wrestling team nodded and dragged a table behind the three. "Well now, what do we do about this one?" Andy asked, pointing to the shadow coming from under the door.

"Stand back." Ryan said as he pulled a kunai out of his holder. With a single throw the kunai pierced the "bullet proof" glass and the shadow on the other side gave a "yelp" before dropping to the ground with a thud. The three waited until some blood leaked under the doorway to proceed. "Well now, three of us, and three floors. Who wants what floor?"

"First floor." Matt said instantly.

"Guess I'll take second then." Andy was already heading to the stairs.

"Which leaves me with the third floor. Thanks guys." Ryan muttered as he followed Andy up the stairs.

Matt looked down the hallway in both directions. To his left was the gym, which didn't really have any locked doors. To his right was the cafeteria, and farther down were the Guidance and the main offices, then the nurse's office, and a little past that was the computer wing. With a sigh he turned to his left, knowing that the people in the cafeteria would need the most help.

And he was right, as he quickly discovered when he walked into the gym. Fifteen coyotes had trapped both the gym class on the top level of the unfolded bleachers, and more then four human corpses lying on the ground. 'Probably the only reason the rest of the people aren't dead yet.' He thought sadly as another group of coyotes came walking up a set of stairs from the auxiliary gym. 'But at least I get to have some fun.'

A howl from behind one of the bleachers caused every coyote to turn and look at Matt with hate-filled eyes. "Kid, get outta there! They'll rip you apart!" someone yelled from the bleachers. Matt glanced up at them lazily and then turned his attention back to the now charging coyotes.

"Idiots." He muttered as a jolt of electricity started to circle him. He ignored the gasps of surprise and horror from the stands but couldn't help but feel like he was a gladiator fighting in the ancient coliseum for their pleasure. 'Well, if I'm a gladiator then I might as well put on a hell of a show for them.' He ducked under a claw and rolled to the right, just barely avoiding the snapping jaw of another coyote. He looked and smiled at the next coyote jumping at him. With a laugh he jumped forward, grabbed the thing's mouth and crushed it. Without hesitation he grabbed the thing by its front paws and sent it flying into the wall. The wall practically exploded as the makeshift missile slammed into it. The entire gym fell silent, man and beast starring at the battered body of the coyote in awe.

Matt didn't waste the chance. He pointed a finger at the nearest group of coyotes and a bolt of lightning shot out and arched from coyote to coyote, each successful arch killing another one. All in all the attack had killed eight of the coyotes, and Matt was pretty sure the first coyote he'd thrown into the wall was dead or dying, which left only six more to go. 'How boring.' The thought as the rest of the coyotes spread out and trapped him in a circle. "Well, come and get me." His taunt brought one of the coyotes in, and he quickly punched it so hard that it flew into the wall on the other side of the rather large gym. Another group of coyotes came in from the doors on the opposite side of the wall and the people on the bleachers groaned. "Well, I was wondering if it would be this easy." Matt muttered as he slowly started to back towards the door. The coyote behind him jumped at him but hit a wall of electricity instead, killing itself instead of killing Matt. Matt backed through the hole and out of the doorway. 'Let's get them all in one area and kick their asses there. But where in the school could we hold all the damn things?' Matt wondered as he kept an eye on the forty some coyotes in front of him. A few screams caused him to turn around and he smiled as a small wave of fire engulfed a pair of coyotes that had been sneaking up on him. Andy came sprinting down the stairs with a smile.

"We're trying to lead them to the auditorium!" He yelled. "Easier to kill them all if they're in one place, right?"

"I was just thinking the same thing actually." Matt said with a chuckle as the two slowly backed towards the main entrance. Five coyotes tried to jump them from behind, but met only a wall of fire and lightning that killed them instantly. "Is Ryan meeting us there?"

"As far as I know. Just be careful of falling coyotes." Matt would have given him a confused look in any other situation, but didn't have time to in this one. "He said that some might be flying out of the balcony thing."

"Wonderful." Matt muttered as the two worked their way up the stair slowly, knowing that if they fell they'd be hard pressed to have any chance of getting back to their feet. Andy ducked under a coyote and heard it yelp as it went through the glass part of the door that led to the auditorium. Grinning, the two jumped through the already shattered glass and took off down the isles. They reached the stage and each one took up a position guarding the two pairs of stairs that led onto the stage. Not two minutes later a group of coyotes came flying over the balcony edge, and a few seconds after that Ryan was on stage, his after image still in the balcony.

"Way to take your time you damn-Japanese-assassin-wannabe." Andy muttered as he punched a particularly annoying coyote into the orchestra pit.

"Sorry, I had a lot to get. They were in the rooms, some were on the roof, the locked closets."

"Enough excuses, hurry up and kill." Matt told him. Instead Ryan pulled out a cell phone. "What now!"

Ryan smiled and dialed a number. "Rachel? Do it." The lights in the auditorium went out as one, and then the stage lights came on followed quickly by one spot light, and then another.

"Mind explaining this?" Andy nodded, also wanting an explanation.

"Well, people wouldn't believe this unless they saw it with their own eyes, right?" Ryan asked as another group of coyotes came into the auditorium. "So Mac, Rachel, and Bob are recording it for us as proof. Now, let's show them what we can do."

"I've got this one covered." Andy said with an evil grin. "Requiem of Fire!" As Andy spoke the ground instantly erupted into flames that didn't burn anything but the coyotes and didn't spread. Three startled gasps came from the balcony, and Ryan looked at Andy with more then a little awe evident in the gaze. "Heh, Yu Yevon didn't like this one too much either."

The flames died down and another group of thirty jumped onto the stage, encircling the group. "I've got this one." Ryan said as he drew a second Kunai.

"Wait, are you gonna go Sasuke now?" Ryan pretended to think about it for a second and then nodded. "God damn it! I'm like Sasuke, that's why I have this!" A Chidori appeared in Matt's hand.

"Yeah, but I'm faster." Ryan disappeared. After less then a second all the Coyotes were being cut to ribbons as Ryan dashed in and out of them, too fast to see. Blood splattered everywhere, covering the stage and everything on it. Ryan came to a sliding halt, not nearly as covered in blood as the rest of the group, but still covered in it nonetheless. "See? Just like at the bridge."

"Fuck you." Matt replied as another group of coyotes, this group notably smaller then the other two, came in through the door. "Well, I guess that leaves this little group to me, doesn't it?"

"Wait till they're on the camera though." Matt rolled his eyes but made no move to attack until they were on the stage.

"Ok bastards, go to hell!" Matt threw his Chidori at the group. For a second the ball sat in their midst and they watched it stupidly until it exploded, sending waves of electricity in every direction. The coyotes cried in pain but no one heard it over the sound of the explosion, and all that remained when the noise was gone was a bunch of charred corpses.

"Well that's a new twist on an old classic." Ryan muttered as he walked over to the corpses. "Did you get it all?" He yelled up to the balcony.

"What the hell happened to you three while you were in those comas!" The reply came only after the sound of all three vomiting. Ryan, Matt, and Andy laughed but quickly stopped when the police came bursting into the auditorium.

"You're just a teensy bit late guys." Ryan yelled to them.

"What happened in here?" One of the officers asked, holding a piece of cloth up to his nose. "Where are all the coyotes?"

"Well, you're standing on some of them, and smelling the others." The officers looked down at Matt's comment and then jumped back out of disgust, much to the amusement of the teens. Again their laugher was interrupted, only this time it was by hundreds of black pyreflies drifting up out of the corpses.

"Son of a bitch, he really did survive…" Andy muttered in disbelief.

"Yeah, it certainly looks that way now doesn't it?" Matt hissed as he watched the pyreflies float through the ceiling and hopefully back to Spira where they belonged. "If he can send fiends here, then there's a good chance he'll be sending lots of them to keep us from finding the god. And no doubt he'll try and kill the god too."

"Well that should make finding the god a hell of a lot easier." Ryan said light heartedly. He held up a hand to keep Matt and Andy from asking, and then answered their unspoken question, "Matt, you ever notice how I always got the right way in a video game?" Matt nodded. "That's because I follow the path of most resistance. If he's trying to kill a god, he's gonna send a hell of a lot of these things to do it. All we have to do is get to the spot with the most sightings."

"Makes sense I guess." Matt admitted as the cops led them away for questioning. "But how are we gonna find out where the most sightings are?"

"That's the only problem with the plan." Ryan admitted with a sigh. "It'd be one thing if we had help doing it, but on our own we can't do anything to figure it out, other then surf the web for fiend sightings. And then all we'll be able to do is tell where they're coming from, we won't be able to get there."

"You three did all that?" A giant man asked, his black face looking from them, to the auditorium, and back to them. The teens nodded. "And you did it with a pair of brass knuckles, three knives, and your own fists?" The three nodded again. "Then maybe you can kick this thing's ass for us, and we can forget about holding you responsible for all the damage to the school." Matt, Ryan, and Andy looked at the picture that showed two of the giant things they'd fought inside of Sin, Behemoths Lulu had called them, and a couple of iron giants.

"You guys can't take care of that?" Ryan glanced from Matt to Andy with a suspicious look. "That seems a little unlikely."

"Look, bullets aren't working, and we ain't allowed to bring out the heavy weapons. Can you kill'em or not?"

Andy sighed. "Lead the way pal." The man led them to a police car and motioned for them to get in. Along the way the man got a call over his radio that made him look extremely nervous.

"What's wrong?" Matt called out.

"Some dude thinks that he can kill the things alone. Won't listen to my men down there either." The man flicked a switch and his cop sirens went on. "Hang on, this ride's about to get a little bumpy!"

A little bumpy was a gross understatement as far as the three teens were concerned. When they reached a road that gave them a good, but rather distant, look at the fighting they were thrown out of their seats repeatedly. The road looked like Tidus had used an Energy Rain on it because of all the potholes in it. When the man put the car in park he heard the three gasp.

"What? My driving that bad?"

"Shit, move!" Matt Ryan yelled, and Matt kicked the door off its hinges.

"What the fuck dude! You don't go kicking people's car doors off you little shit head!" The man screamed

Matt, Andy, and Ryan ignored the man's screams, instead focusing on the battle that was keeping the fiends busy. "I know where all those potholes came from." Ryan said in an amused voice. Both the Behemoths were dead and one of the Iron Giants was going to be joining them shortly. Although the reaming five Iron Giants blocked the view of the person they were fighting, the fact that one of them lost both legs in a single attack told the three all they needed to know.

"Auron." The name rolled off of Matt's tongue in a disbelieving but hopeful tone. After another grunt the Iron Giant that had lost its legs split in two and the one-eyed warrior stepped out of the gap in the fiends ring quickly.

"I thought you'd show up if I waited with the fiends." He walked over to them, ignoring the Iron Giants who had turned to face the bullets of the police for the moment. "Here." Auron's coat flew off to the side revealing 2 large packages and a fanny pack. He threw a package to Matt, then the other to Ryan, and then threw the fanny pack to Andy. "You can handle the rest. I have someone to meet."

"Hey Auron!" Matt called.

"What?"

Ryan pointed to Auron's sword. "Can't carry a weapon around in the streets." Auron frowned and Ryan looked at the police who were being forced to retreat. One of the fiends slammed its hammer thing down onto the engine of a car, which proceeded to explode, killing the giant in the process. "But if you stay for a few minutes then you can just say you were using it to kill fiends."

"Make it quick then." The three teens sighed as Auron sheathed his sword and waited for them to begin fighting the fiends.

'Same old slave driver.' Matt thought as he turned to face the fiends, unwrapping Lightning Edge as he did. "Damn, just one." He muttered.

Wind Cutter flew out of its sheath, glowing brightly and drawing the gaze of everyone except for Auron. "Well, Auron apparently hasn't changed, which means we're dead if we don't move it. So what do you say we deal with this then get going?"

A flash caught the group's eye and they turned to find a group of reporters taking a bunch of pictures. "Wonderful. More attention." Matt muttered.

"Well, it was going to happen some time, right? You can't keep something like this under wraps for long." Ryan said with a shrug. "If you guys take care of the fiends, I can take care of the cameras."

"More fun for me and Andy then." The two gods took off towards the giants who had turned to face the while Ryan disappeared from sight entirely, much to the surprise of everyone who didn't know him. Matt and Andy ignored the cries of surprise as Wind Cutter split the cameras in half without hitting the people holding them.

"Go to hell!" Andy yelled as he fired and impossibly thin beam of fire out of his fist blades. The beam cut one giant in half, and got part of another one, but not enough to kill it. As the beam dissipated Matt charged in with Lightning Edge. With a single devastating swing he cut down not only the one that Andy had only wounded, but also the one behind him on the follow through. As the two giants dropped and burst into pyreflies the people present gasped. "Maybe we overdid it?"

"You think?" Ryan asked as he walked over to his friends. "Auron's already leaving, let's go. School's bound to be closed for the day after all the commotion there. My house is closest."

"Auron! Get over here!" The old man stopped, turned to regard them slowly and then walked over to join them.

"What?"

"You can't just go walking around with a sword. We're going to get a rid from the cops to my house, then you can leave your sword there and go find whoever you need to find. I'm pretty sure you'll remember how to get to my house if you leave from there, right?" Auron nodded and Ryan waved a hand for the police officer that had given them a ride earlier to come over. "We need a ride back to my house."

"Why, just walk." The group rolled their eyes and held up their weapons. "Oh, right. Ok, get in. Is Cyclops coming along too?"

"Yeah." Ryan said slowly, but Auron gave no signs of being annoyed by the comment. 'Then again, when does he ever?'

888

"Ryan, Matt, Andy! Where have you been?" Ryan's mom demanded the instant that she opened the door. "With all the coyotes at the school, I was worried sick about all of you!"

"Mom, can we come in?" Ryan's mom stepped aside and allowed the four in. "Mom, this is my… friend, master, instructor, all of the above, and his name is Auron. Auron, this is my mom." Auron nodded politely as two dogs came flying into the room. "Auron, I'd like you to meet Copper," He motioned to the bigger of the two dogs, with white and brown fur and a curled tail, "And Greta," this time he motioned to the Rottweiler Doberman mix. She was a little shorter then Copper and her fur was almost exclusively black and brown, and she had the nub tail of a Rottweiler. Auron stepped back slightly as Copper jumped up at him, but Ryan simply threw an arm out in front of him. The dog rested her paws on his arm and started to lick him when he got close enough. "And this is how dogs say 'Hello'. It can get annoying, but it's better then having them attack you."

"I suppose." Auron admitted even though his smile showed that he wouldn't have really been bothered if they'd attacked. Ryan rolled his eyes and walked over to a desk in the next room. He glanced out the window, then signaled for Matt to turn on the TV. "Mom, we're going to Nick's to get away from the reporters, okay?" His mom raised and eye as he finished writing something on the piece of paper.

"Okay…" She looked at the note and smiled. 'Mom, we're actually going to Matt's house for the night. Some of the reporters followed us and figured out where Nick lives, so we said we were going there, but after that we're going to go to Matt's once it's dark enough to slip out. I'll have my cell on me, and I'll call you if anything changes.' "Well, have fun everyone."

"Oh come on mom, you know we always do."

888

Matt, Andy, and Ryan had gone to Nick's house just like they'd planned, but Auron had said that he had to meet with his "friend" and he'd find them again if he needed them. Without another word he'd walked off, and effectively drawn the reporters away as well. That left the three and their friend sitting in his house, preparing to go to Matt's.

"Okay, I'm bored… again." Ryan stood up and stretched. "Why the hell are we just sitting here when Auron drew all the reporters away?"

"Because we're incredibly lazy and don't feel like getting up and moving?" Matt asked as much as stated. "But now would be a good opportunity to make our run, wouldn't it?"

"Yes." Ryan stated flatly. He threw a green version of the sweatshirt he'd given Rikku on, then through on a hat and turned back to find everyone following suit. "Well then, shall we sneak?"

"Shall we sneak? What the fuck, you could have any girl you wanted, you know that right?" Nick's question brought a laugh from Ryan but Matt, and Andy seemed to consider it seriously. "Geez, at least some of you know what I mean." He cleared his throat and his next comment came out in a teacher-mocking voice, "Use this golden opportunity to its fullest, and let nothing you can try go untouched." The four burst into laughter as they walked out the door.

888

Twenty minutes later the four found themselves in Matt's basement, safely hidden away from the reporters who'd managed to catch a glimpse of them as they walked into the house. Matt, Andy, and Ryan told Nick about their adventures in Spira.

"Okay, so lemme get this straight." Nick looked at his friends when they'd finished their tale. He pointed to Matt, "You're the god of thunder," He moved his finger so it was pointing to Andy, "You're the god of fire," he moved his finger towards Ryan, "and you're their guardian angel? What the hell, that'd make a great game."

"Isn't that the truth." Andy agreed quietly.

"And on top of being gods and an angel you're also the three that killed all those coyotes in the school? What the hell, why am I the only one who didn't get special powers?"

"Because you didn't get gunned down outside of Cumberland farms?" Ryan asked helplessly. "It's not as great as you think Nick. Having to come back here just sucked ass."

"Why's that?"

"Because he had to leave his girlfriend back in Spira." Andy explained.

"Ohhhh, I see. Well then, we need to get your mind off this stuff guys. But how?" Nick glanced at his watch. "Damn, it's already eleven?" The ceiling creaked, alerting them to someone walking around above them. "What the hell?"

"Its probably just my dad sleepwalking." Matt said casually. "Or getting a drink. He does do that a lot at night. So does my mom, but she doesn't do it as often." The top of the stairs creaked and the sound seemed so out of place it sent a shiver of fear down their spines. "Everyone, hide." Matt's order came so quietly that they barely heard it, but they complied none the less.

A few second later someone cracked the door open just enough to see through. He glanced around but failed to see the four friends. Nick had gone on the other side of the bed so that it was between him and whoever was in the house. Matt had gone to the left side of the door so that when it was opened it would hide him from view until someone moved it again. Andy was hidden amongst the various objects at the base of Matt's computer desk, and had even gone so far as to put an empty box on his head. Ryan was in the partially opened closet, and had put a mirror up on the wall so that he could see the dim outlines moving in the darkness.

The door opened a little more and two men who appeared unarmed stepped into the room. There was a gentle snap and fireballs started to create a ring around the men, drawing gasps of horror from at least three people outside the room. A gentle, flickering light filtered in as several fireballs appeared at random around the room outside, and one man cried out in surprise.

"What the hell is this! What the fuck is going on!" The man charged into Matt's room to escape the fire but only succeeded in bringing the thunder god out of hiding. Matt's door shot out and slammed into the man, knocking him back half a dozen feet and into another man. Without breaking his motion Matt punched one of the guys in his room in the face, but received a punch to the side for his work. He turned and looked at the man and realized that he'd been hit with the butt of an assault riffle rather then a fist.

"Wow… you suck at this." Matt muttered before grabbing the butt of the riffle and ripping it easily out of the man's hands. As he spun to face the men gathered outside he saw Andy jumping to finish off the guy at his back. 'Wait, why aren't they shooting?' A bullet erupted into electricity in front of his face and he smiled. With a flick of his finger a single bolt arched out and slammed into the closest man's gun, and then arched to the next, and then the next until it had hit every gun. The soldiers starred at them wide-eyed.

"Well, mind if I cut in?" Ryan asked as he stepped out from behind Matt. "You do have a tendency to kill, and I'd like to know why the hell a group this well armed would be attacking us."

"Go for it. But try not to get too much blood on the carpets. It raises a lot of question we don't have answers for."

"Wait! Wait, we surrender." Ryan and Matt glanced from each other to the men now standing with their hands above their hands.

"You surrender? You attack us, and then as soon as things look bad you give up? What the hell are you expecting, us to forgive you that quickly?" The question came from Andy who was keeping and eye on the men inside the room.

"And what'd you do to the rest of my family." No one answered and he crushed the butt of the rifle with one hand and continued in a much darker tone, "I'd really like to know, now. So why don't' you save yourself a lot of pain and tell me?"

"We didn't do anything to them. They're still asleep. Our orders were to see exactly how powerful you were." The man who'd surrendered explained.

Ryan sighed. "What the hell? What, are you guys some kind of undertaker squad or something?"

"No, we're…" The man hesitated.

"You're…" Ryan prompted like the man was a child.

"They're CIA." Someone with a southern accent said as he walked down the stairs, clearly not minding if anyone heard him coming. "You see, we've got a problem. A problem I need you to take care of."

"Mr. President you shouldn't have come yet!" Matt and Ryan just starred in awe as George W. Bush walked completely into the room, flicking on a light causally as he did so.

"Mr. President? What the he--" Nick's question died on his lips as he and Andy came out to see what was happening.

Matt recovered from the shock first. "You said you had a problem?" The president nodded. "Well, care to elaborate?"

"Several rather… unique animals have been trapped in a cave. Bullets aren't working on them, but we've managed to keep them corralled there." The president explained, casually looking around the room. He stopped to examine a yard sale sign before continuing. "After we got word of your two minor… tussles, shall we say, with other abnormal animals we decided to gain your help."

"Gain?" Matt asked skeptically.

"This isn't a request. I'm ordering you, as president of the United States of America, to go and kill those things. We've already lost dozens of men to them, and I would very much like to know what it is that makes them immune to bullets."

"You're demanding that we help you?" Ryan asked in a disbelieving voice. "As in, we go in, risk our lives to kill the fiends, come back and go about our normal lives every time that something you guys are too stupid to kill comes along?"

"You'll be well compensated for your work, I can assure you of that." The president replied, allowing more then a little of his annoyance to show in his voice.

"You sure that's a good idea, what with the deficit and all?" Ryan twirled a pair of kunai around lazily as he asked the question.

Bush turned on his heel, and glared at Ryan. The teen didn't back down but did crack an amused smile. "You find this funny?" Bush demanded. "The fact that the terrorists out there have monsters like the things you fought before doesn't worry you at all!"

"Terror... what?" Andy asked, shaking his head hopelessly.

"What, do you expect me to believe these things aren't from earth? You want me to believe they're from some alternate dimension or something?" Bush hissed the questions at them.

"Well they aren't from earth, and they'll kill anything that moves so nobody is gonna tame them. Well, maybe the coyotes, but they're no big deal." Andy shrugged with the statement. Bush laughed at the comment.

"Okay then kids, where are they from then? Hmmm? Outer space?"

"Spira, and I suggest you stop mocking them before we decided that we're not going to help you either way." Matt practically growled the threat, a Chidori beginning to form in his hand. The men and President Bush gasped in horror as it finished forming and he held it out towards them. "And believe me, if we fight, you're the ones who won't be walking away."

"You're threatening the President of the United States, do you realize that!" Bush demanded in a voice that showed far more confidence then he had. Matt laughed at the empty threat.

"So? You came here, attacked us in the middle of the night, _demand _that we risk our lives to save your ass so you don't look like an ass in the eye of the public. Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't hate your guts?" All of the men in the room backed away from Matt as he stepped towards the president. "But you're lucky, you know why?" Bush shook his head. "Because we may not like you, but we _do _need your help. We need to find the place that the fiends are appearing the most. We'll be your monster hunters if you can get us from one place to another. And pay us of course." Bush nodded and Matt's Chidori disappeared slowly. "Good, now get the hell out of my house."

"Sorry, but we have a job for you, remember?" The leader of the CIA agents reminded him.

"You're still going to get out of my house." Matt said quietly with an amused smile sprayed across his face. "Right?"

The men nodded quickly and went sprinting up the stairs. Matt's little sister screamed and the sound of the door flying open reached the teens ears. "Hey, there's a fourth one here!" the president shouted. "Okay kid, you're coming with. You've heard too much."

"Well this should be wonderful." Matt said sarcastically as they walked out of the house. They followed the CIA agents to a nearby church. "Helicopters, wonderful. At least they'll know we're leaving."

"Here." A man handed them each an earpiece and a headset box. "Press this button to talk, make sure you're on channel two five high."

"Two five high?" Andy asked. There were a few beeps from behind him and he turned to see Ryan putting his headset on.

"Thank god for tech crew." He offered before walking onto the helicopter. He glanced around at the multiple strap in seats and found that he wasn't the only none CIA agent on the chopper. "Auron, why am I not surprised?" The age guardian gave him a nod but made no other indication that he'd even seen him. "Well, you're as talkative as ever."

"You know this guy?" One of the few agents on the ship asked. Ryan nodded. "You're lucky old man. If he hadn't I'd have kicked your ass myself for what you did to my brother."

"Uh-huh…" Matt muttered as he got on. "Auron getting his ass kicked, that's not something I'd like to see."

"Why's that?" Ryan asked.

"Well, it kicked Auron's ass so that means we're the next biggest threats, right? And it's just plain stupid to leave threats alive. Right?" Ryan shrugged.

"I guess you've got me there." The blades on the helicopter started up and conversation with the CIA agents ceased all together. Andy, Matt, and Ryan said little as well in the oppressing silence, but when they did make comments they were light-hearted and usually succeeded in bringing a smile to at least one of the CIA agents.

Eventually one of the agents grew irritated with the teens' light-hearted comments so much that he asked how they could be so calm. Matt responded with a smile and said, "Haven't you heard? We killed an entire school full of coyotes earlier today, then we killed a couple of giants' asses after that, and he killed two behemoths alone." The CIA Agents looked at them like they were insane, clearly having made no sense of what he was saying.

"Lemme try explaining." Ryan suggested. "We've been doing this for three months, and, as odd as this may sound… those two are gods. Matt is the god of thunder, and Andy is the god of fire." To emphasize Ryan's point, and stop the snickering from farther back, the two gods engulfed their hands in their respective elements. The snide comments quickly turned to mummers of fear and awe, which quickly reached the gods' ears and brought them small smiles of satisfaction.

888

Twenty minutes later the helicopter landed in a forest clearing. When the warriors from Spira, accompanied by Nick and a bunch of CIA agents, stepped into the clearing they were instantly brought up to speed on the situation.

"Okay, so we've got forty iron giants, ten flans of varying elements, some coyotes, and a dozen behemoths. Well this is gonna be fun." Ryan, Matt, and Andy found themselves grinning with anticipation. "Auron, you stay here. At least a few are bound to get out of the cave. We're gonna need you to take care of them." The warrior nodded as Ryan turned to face Nick. "Nick… do whatever they tell you to."

"Geez, you guys are going to kill… I don't even _know _what… and I'm stuck playing errand boy." Matt and Ryan laughed.

"Nick, you're not even close to being able to fight a coyote on even ground, not to mention an iron giant or a behemoth. Besides, if you're nice to them maybe they'll teach you something." Matt turned around and found a man holding a mining hat with a light and something else on it. "What's this?"

"It's a camera. We've got no idea what these things can do, so anyone going in there is gonna wear this so that we can get more information on these things." The man pointed towards a group of computers set up in a truck.

"Hope your guys like explosions." Matt said with a sigh as he took his New York Yankees hat off grudgingly and put the stupid looking helmet on instead.

"Okay men, let's go!" One of the CIA agents yelled. Matt ran over and slapped him upside the head. The man whirled around and glared at the teen before demanding: "What the hell was that for?"

"You'd just slow us down." Matt said as the gods and Ryan started towards the cave. "We go in alone, or not at all. Its not like we couldn't kill our way out of here." The tone of his voice sent chills down the spines of all the CIA agents. "Now, what's it gonna be?"

"Why would you go in there alone?"

"Well bullets don't do anything. Unless one of you is a fucking sword master on Ryan's level then anyone else who goes in there would just slow us down." Matt explained again.

"What about him?" Nick asked while pointing to Auron.

"Auron would kick the shit outta me. That's why he's the last line of defense." Ryan said before leading Matt and Andy into the cave. Ten feet in they were forced to turn on their lights, which also activated the camera. "Well, I hope none of you boys outside have Epilepsy, and if you do I suggest getting someone to switch jobs with you." Twenty minutes later the group, having only met a single iron giant, came across a three-way intersection.

"Left." Matt was already headed down the hallway.

"Straight." Andy watched as Ryan walked down the remaining hallway before walking forward. He walked until he reached another split. 'Wonderful.' He bent down and drew an arrow into the ground with his finger. The rock below burnt and the arrow became permanent, and Andy started off down the path.

A hundred feet farther down he walked into a large room littered with stalagmites and stalactites. In the center was a pool of water and on the other side were two behemoths and fourteen iron giants. The iron giants had made a ring around the behemoths and were throwing in powerful blows but the behemoths were countering with blows that punched through the other fiends. "Okay boys, lets see some fireworks." Andy muttered as he stood up. He snapped his fingers several times and a dozen fireballs appeared around him. The sudden light drew the attention of the fiends who stopped their fight to stare at him.

"Here we go." Andy said as the iron giants charged towards him. Andy flicked his finger and one of the balls of fire shot forward, expanded in mid-air, and engulfed the giant in a suit of fire. The giant thrashed for a few seconds before pyreflies started to leak out of the coat at which point it disappeared in a burst of light. The surprise stalled most of the fiends for a few seconds, but three of the iron giants kept coming at Andy.

Andy dove to the side, the ground behind him exploding under the weight of three heavy clubs. Andy reacted on instinct, kicking off the ground and charging back in. He ducked under a backhand and drove his fist-blade's blade into the armor. The sharp blade easily pierced the armor, and then he proceeded to pull the blade down as quickly as he could. The armor gave under the blade's sharp edge and pyreflies leaked out quickly. Without stopping Andy spun to his right and crouched down. He heard the sound of metal slamming into metal and the dead giant toppled over him.

He rolled forward and punched the next iron giant in the knee. The metal joint crumbled under the blow and the fiend lurched to the side into another iron giant. The two toppled to the ground and were engulfed in a tornado of fire. Andy turned to find the other fiends charging him and sighed. "Screw this." He muttered as the number of fireballs floating in the air tripled. "Requiem of Fire!" The entire room filled with flames and pyreflies. Andy heard glass crack and someone cursed at him over the head set but the pyro god just smiled and turned away from the still burning corpses.

888

Matt found himself wondering where all the fiends were hiding. He'd been in the cave for close to a half hour, following the twisting path he'd chosen without anything to fight. 'Everyone else is probably outside by now, and I'm stuck in this damn cave. I hate the world.'

A bolt of lighting knocked him off his feet and succeeded in leaving him confused for several seconds. When he'd regained his wits he propped himself up on his elbows and found himself starring down three flans. One was obviously a thunder flan, one looked like a fire flan, and the last one was clear so he guessed it was a water flan. "Finally!" The thunder god stood up and brushed himself off calmly while watching the flans. The thunder one launched another bolt of lightning that curved around and slammed into the water flan. Immediately the fiend slumped and disappeared in a wave of pyreflies. The fire flan launched a fire spell at him but he rolled out of the way.

'Lu said that they were resistant to physical attacks.' He brought Lightning Edge down on the fire flan. Even the god-forged blade got stuck halfway through. The flan closed around it and grinned at Matt as it started to prepare another fire spell. "Dumbass fiend." Matt said with a shake of his head. A wave of electricity rushed through his hands and into Lightning Edge. The flan's eyes widened for a second before it, too, burst into pyreflies. 'Now for the lightning one.' Another bolt of lightning slammed into him. 'Well magic won't work here, which leaves me with extremely ineffective physical attacks. Wonderful.' Matt walked into a lightning bolt and smiled as the energy sent a tingling sensation throughout his body.

Matt raised Lightning Edge over his head with both hands. The flan looked at him like he was stupid for a second before Lightning Edge buried itself into the ground, splitting the flan in two. Matt's eyes narrowed as the two halves merged back together around Lightning Edge. 'This blows. I help take out a renegade god and I can't even take out one damn Flan?'

:Absorb it.: Dnortih's voice rang out in Matt's head. :As the god of thunder you can absorb any form of electricity, even the base form that creates and maintains this flan.:

'And I do this… how?' Matt's reply came after several seconds of silence.

:The same way you would absorb a bolt of lightning. Only in this case, as you're absorbing that which gives something life, it's going to be more then a little harder. It shouldn't be beyond you though, at least I don't think it is.:

Matt let out a laugh as the flan shot him with another lightning bolt. Matt focused his entire will on drawing all the electricity that made up the flan out. It was only a trickle of energy at first, like a small crack in a dam. And just like any crack a small trickle broke it to pieces. A wave of electricity slammed into him and knocked him back a dozen feet.

:See, it wasn't that hard was it: Dnortih's voice held a hint of sarcasm in it.

'That hurt like hell.' Matt stood up slowly and brushed a dozen small rocks off, and in some cases out of, his back. With a sigh he started back down the dark, gloomy tunnel. A couple hundred feet into the tunnel he felt the ground beneath him shake slightly. 'Iron Giants. Yay.' He continued down the corridor until he heard a roar. 'Behemoths, too. This is getting better by the minute.'

He came to a corner and peeked around it. Five Behemoths were going at it with a bunch of Iron Giants. 'Guess fiends are just like the Sith. Thank god for that.'

He watched for a few minutes, until the fiends were completely focused on their battles, before strapping Lightning Edge to his back. His hands started to form the mystic seals to perform the Chidori but a thought struck him. With an evil grin he called forth another storm, like he'd done when Yu Yevon had snapped Ryan's neck. Bolts of lightning slammed into the ground around the fiends, some actually hitting fiends instead of landing next to them. Each bolt that connected with the ground created a clone of Matt, and each clone created its own Chidori. The fiends gawked at them for a second, the sudden appearance of a storm in a cave combined with the fact that humans had come from bolts of lighting, far too much for their primitive minds to comprehend. What they did comprehend was the pain as each one had a Chidori driven into some part of its body.

'Well. Maybe they aren't _quite_ like the Sith. Sith would've killed them as soon as they appeared. Oh well, time to find some more fun.' Matt thought as he turned to head back, hopefully to find some more fiends.

888

Ryan found himself in a rather difficult situation. He'd been jumped by five flans, which he'd gotten rid of without much trouble. The trouble had started when an iron giant had gotten him from behind, breaking two ribs with the initial force of the blow, and probably another rib when Ryan hit the wall. He'd been able to use his White Magic to fix the ribs, but he didn't want to waste magic if he didn't have to. With that fact in mind he'd elected not to get rid of the pain that was coursing through his chest like liquid lava.

'Bastards. Where'd they all come from?' he wondered as three more iron giants joined the one that had already hit him. The fact that the ground was shaking clued Ryan into the fact that more iron giants, or possibly even behemoths, were on their way to the fight.

"Wind Cutter!" The magical attack sliced through the newest two iron giants who were still standing in a line. However the attack left him exposed to another powerful swing from the first iron giant. His mind went blank as the heavy hammer flew at his head, but his body moved on instincts born of 3 months of death matches. He ducked under it, letting the swing pass over his head harmlessly, and then he charged in. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style," He jumped into the air, hit the ceiling, and pushed off, "Ryu Tsui Sen!" the right arm of the giant came off but it simply reached over and picked up its hammer. "Just die already! Ryu Sho Sen!" The move cut off the front half of the monster's face just as two behemoths came charging into the room. "Gimme a break!"

The first behemoth charged straight forward. It tried to bite the quick swordsman in half but found only his after image. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Sou Sen!" The enchanted blade dug into the fiend's flank so quickly that at first the monster didn't notice until a searing pain erupted in its side. With a roar it turned and swung, but its massive claw hit Ryan's barrier instead.

Ryan spun around and split the arm down the middle, ruining it but not killing the fiend. He dropped down and slashed at the fiend's legs, which gave in to the sharp blade easily. Without stopping he completed a spin while rising, splitting the fiend in two with a rising slash.

The temperature of the cave started to rise as Ryan threw up his shield. A few seconds after the shield was completely formed the ground seemed to explode as meteors, from where Ryan hadn't the slightest clue, rained down from the sky and assured death to any who weren't prepared. Towards the end of the first wave one of the meteors began to end the remaining behemoth roared in pain and another started. Ryan sat down and rolled eyes, wanting to go home and go back to bed.

The ground under him rumbled and he let out a sigh. He glanced to a tunnel he hadn't noticed before and found two iron giants charging him. 'Fiends really don't learn, do they?' He stood up and found two behemoths behind him. 'What the fuck?' He pushed his shield out as far as he could. At first nothing happened and he started to panic. The iron giants raised their hammers and Ryan closed his eyes so watching them wouldn't distract him. He heard the hammer hit something and then steel scraping against rock, the loud sound echoing several times in the small room before disappearing. He heard the behemoths roar in pain and beneath that noise the sound of steel crushing.

When he opened his eyes the iron giants he'd seen coming, along with two other iron giants and a behemoth, were crushed up against one wall with pyreflies leaking out of them. Turning he saw two bloody messes slowly letting out pyreflies. 'Well they're dead.' He thought as he turned and surveyed the room. When he was sure that no other fiends were just waiting to pop up he started down the corridor he'd just found. He quickly discovered that it wasn't that long, not even five minutes at a walking pace, but it did open up to a large chamber, the top of which Ryan was amazed that he couldn't see. In the middle of the chamber was a group of fifteen coyotes and two iron giants.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Do Ryu Sen!" sharp, dagger like pieces of rock shot towards the fiends. Two coyotes fell to the ground almost immediately, another following when its front legs were broken. The rest, although battered, escaped without any real physical harm. "That didn't have the effect I was going for…" The coyotes charged in first, all thirteen seemingly oblivious to the fact that they were going to die.

Wind Cutter slashed out at them as they got close enough to hit, ending the maddened charge abruptly. The first three fell under a single slice that split their heads from their jaws. He brought his sword around in time to cut off a claw headed at his side, but felt a sharp pain in his wrist. He ignored it for the moment and slashed the ground around him in a circle. Rock and dirt kicked up and out forming a temporary barrier the fiends couldn't get through. Without breaking stride he jumped up and over the barrier, quickly spotting what he was looking for. He landed behind the coyotes and charged past the iron giants, slashing them in the legs repeatedly in the process, and then stood behind a pool of water.

With a feral grow the coyotes charged past the injured iron giants, some nearly clearing the pool in a single leap, some just running straight through it. Ryan calmly dispatched of each coyote that came after him, and he found himself smiling slightly at their stupidity as he quickly finished each one-on-one fight. 'Different body weights means different speeds. Different speeds means that I can fight them one at a time.'

A pointed, flying piece of rock changed that quickly. Ryan spun out of the way as much as he could when he saw it coming at him but he still felt it slam into his shoulder. A wave of pain washed over his arm, quickly followed by a numbness that surprised him. He threw up a shield to stop another rock and glanced over at his now bleeding arm.

'Bastards.' He cast a healing spell to stop the bleeding and make the arm functional, but the numbness didn't leave no matter how much magic he put into the spells. He cut down another coyote that tried to bite him as he came out of a roll and then jumped as high as he could. He winced as pain shot through his shoulder blades but he felt his wings sprout. 'Now where's the bastard with the rocks?' A sailing boulder answered his question, and nearly clipped his wing in the process. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Tsui Sen Zan!" He came down on the iron giant, the tip of his blade driving through its skull. He spun around as he fell, beheading the fiend, and kicked the head into the next iron giant. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Kan Sen!" Wind Cutter cut the fiend's legs off at the knees before coming up and piercing a coyote's skull. Ryan Pulled his sword free, cutting another fiend's head in two in the process, and split a coyote in two from jaw to tail.

He saw one coyote jump at him from the corner of his eye right eye, but the other was slashing at him from behind. He rolled forward, spun when he stopped and launched a pair of Kunai at the two. The first Kunai pierced the jumping coyote's throat, but the second coyote dodge the one flying at it. It growled and charged at him blindly. Ryan rolled his eyes and slashed straight down with Wind Cutter, splitting the thing's head in two. He brought Wind Cutter up into a ready position but found no more coyotes charging him.

"Well that was fun. Hope you pansies out there enjoyed the show." He muttered as he started back towards the fork, healing the cut across his wrist with barely a thought. He froze when he heard gunshots coming over the head set. Instinct took over and he sprinted towards the fork instead.

888

'Nothing. Damn side tunnels.' Andy thought crossly as he came back out the path he hadn't taken earlier. Several coyotes went running past him and towards the exit. Before Andy had a chance to react a bolt of lightning went flying into them, arching from one to the next until all of them were dying. "Well there's something you don't see every day… oh, wait… I do see that a lot, don't I?"

"Yeah, I guess it is." Matt came out of the tunnel he'd taken. "And here comes the last of us."

"Why is it that the fastest of us was the last to finish?" Andy asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, I take my time. But right now--" He was interrupted as the sound of steel cutting through steel echoed through the cave. "We have to go help deal with that."

"Geez, such a pain in the ass." Matt complained as the three ran to the entrance to the cave.

"You have got to be shitting me…" Ryan muttered when the group found themselves starring at the backs off all the remaining fiends. "No wonder I didn't find anything else!"

"Well, this makes life a hell of a lot easier." A ring of lightning surrounded Matt and as a Chidori formed in his hand. "They're in a straight line for me and everything."

"Oh my god, it's the giant pansy group of doom!" Andy's comment drew the attention of some of the fiends. "Well, there you go Matt." The god of thunder rolled his eyes before meeting the coyotes' charge with a charge of his own. His Chidori ripped through the first three, which simply exploded into pyreflies, and then slammed into the back of the first iron giant. Stray bolts of lighting arched around the fiend before it exploded, allowing Matt to continue up through the line. He took down two more iron giants before his Chidori ended. Without a second's pause he pulled Lightning Edge off his back and started to swing it around violently, each attack cutting down at least one fiend, but more often three or four. In the tight corridor even fiends that would normally be too agile for Matt to hit couldn't avoid his deadly axe.

"Matt, down!" As soon as Matt ducked two blades of pure fire shot through the cave, fiend and rock alike. The attack that would have normally cut through anything in its path stopped midway through the crowded hallways, unable to cut through the rest of the fiends.

"Matt, incoming Wind Cutter!" Matt cursed as he rolled up against the right wall. A silver wave flashed through the tunnel next to him, splitting some of the monsters in half and missing others completely. The attack died much faster then it normally did, a fact that neither Matt nor Andy missed. Ignoring the weakness of the attack for the moment Matt stood back up and charged back into the fray, once again putting Lightning Edge to deadly use. Fiend limbs went flying every which way as Andy and Ryan joined in the mass melee. Cheers of joy sounded from the other side of the fiends, faint, except for Nick's voice, which was distinct among the cheers.

"Guess Auron's finally getting to have some fun." Andy commented lazily as they forced the fiends to cluster together for safety. "Well, perhaps it's time to… end their suffering?" he glanced over and found Ryan and Matt backing up to give him room, a fact that Andy couldn't help but laugh at. Fire started to engulf him as he turned back to face the fiends. He broke into a run, the flames on his body reaching out and igniting any fiend they could and completely burning through the ones directly in front of Andy. Matt and Ryan followed as closely as they could, finishing off those resistant enough to survive the initial attack.

"Dragon Fang!" Ryan, Matt, and Andy jumped off the ground and watched as lines of energy slammed into and killed all of the remaining fiends while completely clogging the tunnel with pyreflies.

"Damn, a little warning next time would be nice, Auron." Matt complained as the three walked out of the curtain of pyreflies that Auron had created. The former guardian smirked but said nothing as the CIA agents and Nick starred at them with a mix of admiration and open horror.

"Can we help you?" Matt's question snapped them out of their stupor. They started scrambling around the site and packing to leave while Matt donned his hat once more. The trip home was significantly more annoying then the trip to the cave was for Ryan, Matt, Andy, and Auron. The CIA agents not only wouldn't stop pestering them with questions like "How'd you do that thing after the thing hit you" but they also insisted that all four be examined by a doctor, refusing to believe that they'd come out unharmed. The worst part of the ride, however, was the fact that they hung on every word any of the four said, a fact that quickly drove Andy, Matt, and Ryan to using Al Bhed for the sake of having _some _privacy. One man, who claimed to fluently speak every language in the world, found the fact that he didn't understand them unendingly irritating to the point where he demanded to know what they were speaking.

"Al Bhed, fryd, ryjah'd raynt ed pavuna (Al Bhed, what, haven't heard it before)?" The man glared at Matt but the fact that he didn't have the slightest clue as to what was being said to him kept him silent until the end of the ride, at which point he cursed them out in several different languages. A glare from Auron silenced the comments quickly enough, and the man's panicked exit caused Matt, Ryan, and Andy to laugh despite it being 4 in the morning.

"Well where exactly are we going now? We don't have school, but Matt's house isn't the closest." Ryan sighed, knowing that Nick was right.

"But all of our stuff is at his house. Not that we really brought anything with us." A CIA agent ran over to them and handed Matt, Ryan, Andy, and Auron pieces of paper.

"Blade permits. This way if you get stopped on the way to your house for carrying your weapons you won't get in trouble. They aren't normal either, so no matter what there's no chance you can get in trouble unless you're caught using them in cold blooded murder."

"Well that blows. How are we supposed to have fun now?" The man's eyes widened in horror despite Andy's comment being sarcastic. "Well I'm going to my house to go to bed. It's a hell of a lot closer then your house is, Matt."

"Sleep is good." Matt admitted. "But I like my room. It's nice, quiet, dark. It _was _safe until today."

"Well I think I'm going to wander for a while." Ryan decided. "I'll probably stop by your house to pick up my things later."

"Then I have a gift for all of you." Auron pulled out three spheres and handed one to Andy, one to Matt, and one to Ryan. "I knew you would have to leave Spira, so I made these."

"Auron, I didn't know you cared." Ryan commented sarcastically.

"I just didn't want you to forget what you have to save." Auron walked away before any more comments could be made.

"Well, glad it's not for our jobs or anything." Matt said sarcastically before the group dispersed and head their own way.

888

Ryan found that he had almost made his way home, despite his intentions of wandering around for a while. The park by the pool, normally a bright and happy place, seemed to hold a sense of malice as he walked through it. A loud scream explained why.

'Always me.' Ryan thought as he put the sphere away and turned in every direction to find the origin of the scream. At first he had trouble seeing through the gloom and shadows, his eyes used to having the light given off by a playing sphere to illuminate at least some of the area. Another scream, this time followed by a couple of laughs, gave him the general direction of where he needed to go.

As he rounded the play set he found at least a dozen guys standing in a ring that was giving off quiet sobs. "Hey, boss. Some punk jus' walk'd ov'r. What 'ya want us ta do ta 'im?" Ryan raised an eyebrow at the horrible English.

"Da fuck kid, get lost 'fore we gots to ice ya." A man warned as he stepped out of the circle. He was tall, and looked like he could hold his own in a fight against pretty much anyone that he'd normally come across.

"Nice scratches, where'd you get'em?" The man raised his hand to his face and when he pulled it away there was a little blood on it.

"Damn whore! Da fuck you scratch me for!" He kicked whoever was in the middle of the ring and earned a cry of pain for his efforts.

Ryan's eyes narrowed. "I'm not exactly sure what's going on here, but I don't think you should be doing that." The group burst into laughter, which caused Ryan to smirk. "Leave now an I'll let you go without any trouble. Touch her again and I'll make sure we don't ever have _any _of your kids to deal with."

The laughing stopped and the group turned to face him, forgetting about the woman they'd encircled. "What was dat kid? You gonna ice all us?"

Ryan sighed. "Apparently you only understand 'dumb ass' and not English." One of the guys from the group, a giant Mexican guy that looked like he had muscles that would rival Auron's, stepped forward.

"You should leave, now. Maybe den da boss'll let you live."

"Maybe you guys should go take a fifth grade English class, but you aren't going to, are you?" Ryan shrugged and the big guy turned to face the boss.

"Stones, knives, ice'em and get it over with." The boss said casually.

Ryan sighed audibly as another man stepped forward and brandished a pair of knives. "You guys are really gonna try and kill me?" He chuckled at the thought as he reached for a Kunai. The big man threw a few punches as he pulled the dagger out. He spun around one particularly powerful looking blow and shoved the Kunai into something important in the man's arm. "Now I'm no anatomy expert, but is his arm _supposed _to be dangling limply?"

The entire gang turned and raised and eyebrow, clearly surprised that he was still alive. "Stone, knives, I said ice'em!" The boss cried.

"Why don't you all come at me at once?" The group laughed at Ryan for his suggestion. "Look, either way you're all going to get your asses kicked, this way I might need to use both my arms."

The gang leader spit on the ground and glared at Ryan for a second. "Wha in dis for you, ya damn pansy."

"Me?" Ryan asked in a mocking voice. "Well, I guess it comes with the job description."

"You some kind pig?" Knives asked from behind him.

Ryan glanced over his shoulder and gave Knives an insulted look before turning back to the boss. "How can I put this so that you can understand it?" He pretended to think for a few seconds. "Well, I'm the Wings of Death." The group looked at him like he was insane. "Call me a… fallen angel, if you will. I'm a guardian of those who can defend themselves, and somebody who isn't afraid to take out a few gangs to get the point across."

"You think you gonna take all us out alone?" The boss laughed when Ryan nodded. "Dis is great boys. We've got us a real funny boy here. Why don't you show dis bozo how we does business." Knives thrust out with his knives and found that Ryan wasn't where he appeared to be.

"Hey, up here!" Ryan's voice drew the entire gang's gaze up to his floating, winged form.

"Boss! Dat kid got wings!" One of the guys cried in horror.

"I'll give you one last chance to leave with all your fingers and hands. I suggest you take it." The gang's boss replied by reaching into his jacket for what Ryan could only assume was a gun. The angel reacted instantly, throwing stairs sailing down and into the man's hand as he pulled something out. The leader cried out in pain and dropped whatever he'd been holding to the ground where another member went for it.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Do Ryu Sen!" A wave of ground slammed into the main group of people, knocking most of them out and breaking the bones of a few that weren't as lucky. The gang scattered after the display, leaving those who were hurt to fend for themselves. "Hey, are you ok?" Ryan asked the girl who'd been in the middle of the ring. She nodded numbly, desperately trying to hold her ruined shirt together and keep some measure of dignity. Ryan pulled off his button up shirt and handed to her before turning to the stunned gang leader. "Look, I dunno if you work for anyone or not, but I'm gonna give you a message. I want you to pass it along to all of the gangs in a ten-mile radius, and I mean _all _of them. If I hear about any gangs causing problems, the Wings of Death _will _put an end to them, got it?" The leader nodded quickly and left. "Oh, could you do me a favor?" The woman who he'd saved. "Could you… maybe, not tell anyone what I look like?" She starred at him like he was crazy. "It's just, me and my friends have drawn a lot of attention to ourselves lately, and we don't really need anymore. If the cops or anyone asks you who saved you, just tell them it was the Wings of Death, but don't tell them what I look like, ok?" she smiled and nodded, both actions were dulled by shock and surprise though. "Thank you. Take care!" As he ran off in a random direction he wondered if letting the gang live was going to come back to haunt him.

888

"So you broke up the gang, called yourself the Wings of Death, and then just ran off?" Matt rolled his eyes at Ryan.

"Well I wasn't just gonna leave her there to get raped." He shrugged innocently. "Besides, if anything they'll go after me and not her. And they sure as hell aren't a threat."

"Attention, attention!" Matt replied mockingly. "Oh well, it's not like we can do anything about it now. Besides, if they come after you then maybe I'll get lucky. I've been looking for someone to shock." A ring of electricity surrounded his hand with the last statement, illuminating the surrounding gloom. The trees that were a pale imitation of a real forest did manage to keep the light out as well as a real forest. Beyond that however there was almost nothing that could remind them of a forest.

"Well what are we gonna do now?" Matt held up a sphere. "What, Auron gave you another sphere?"

"Yeah, a blank one. Said it had just enough space to hold 3 years worth of shit on it." Matt smiled. "Maybe everyone back on Spira would like to see just how pitiful people here are?"

Ryan smiled slightly before asking, "What do you have in mind."

"Well you wanted to settle the score with Billy anyway, right?" He turned on the camera and positioned it so that it was recording him, "Hey everyone. It's May 22nd here, the 22nd day of the fifth month of our calendar. We got this from a… friend who wish to remain unknown for the time, but it's got a lot of empty space on it. Some of you may remember when I tried to tell you something about Ryan and Billy, and it kind of died off? Well, that's because Billy had sex with Ryan's girlfriend, while Ryan was going out with her. That's why it was such a sore subject back then. Well, let's go see if they can't settle their… differences after so long." He switched off the camera and gave Ryan, who was shaking his head helplessly, a smug smile. "No backing out of it now."

"I hate you, you do know that, right?" Matt laughed as the two stood up. "That reminds me. Do you know where Billy's fencing school is?"

"No, but since when has that ever stopped us before."

"Good point." Ryan admitted as the two walked out of the woods and found themselves face to face with Andy. "Yo."

"So, gonna beat down Billy for the last time are we?" Andy was already putting on his brass knuckles.

"Yep. And with my luck, it'll probably cause the entire school to freak out on me."

"Would it really be such a bad thing if that happened though?" Matt's question brought a smile to all their faces.

"Well, I suppose we'll find out when we get there. But first, to my house." Andy and Matt looked at Ryan, with confusion clearly evident on their faces. "Well I can't exactly have a sword fight with him if I don't have a sword, now can I? Otherwise it'd just be a plain old ass kicking."

888

Three hours of walking, twenty wrong turns, and thirty-five strangers asked for directions later found Ryan, Matt, and Andy walking into Billy's fencing school at two. The three glanced around but amidst the hundred some odd fencing students, completely suited up in the white suits and face hiding helmets, find one person was nearly impossible.

"Can we help you boys?" A tall man asked, noting how out of place the group looked carrying an oddly wrapped package and dressed in black. "Perhaps you're here to join?"

"I dunno. I've had sword lesson of a sort before, if you could actually call them that." The big man raised an eyebrow as Ryan continued, "What I was actually hoping to do was have a match against someone."

"We don't allow matches with other schools." The man said with a shrug. "Sorry, but I can't help you there."

"What if I told you this: I wanna have a match to see if it's worth joining."

"Oh, so you want a demonstration?" Ryan nodded. "Well, we have several demonstrations a month, and several of our members have gone on to the Olympics."

"Yeah, yeah. Big deal, one or two people doesn't show how good the school is." The man's face turned red with anger.

"Well then what are you looking for to prove that our school is worth joining?" The man's voice was raised just enough that some of the students stopped and took of their helmets.

Matt tapped on Ryan's shoulder and pointed towards his right. Ryan glanced over and saw a familiar, cocky face that caused him to smile coldly and Matt pulled out the sphere Auron had given them. "Him." He simply pointed to Billy whose eyes widened in surprise.

The man looked from Ryan to Billy and back to Ryan. "Him? What the heck does that mean?"

"Are you serious?" Matt rolled his eyes. "He wants to fight him. You know, see just how good he really is? He's been here for… well, long enough to get cocky about his skills."

The school around them burst into laughter. "Billy'd tear you to pieces. He's one of our top students. To fight you would be--"

"Okay." Billy suddenly interrupting the instructor caused all laughter to die, replaced by surprised mutters. "I've got a score to settle with him anyway. After all, he's the one who put me in a coma." The room gasped in surprise.

Ryan smiled. "Well at least it didn't affect your memory. That makes my job a lot easier."

"And that is?" A teen with brown hair asked from behind Billy. She stepped out defiantly and Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you're still with Billy. I'm impressed, that makes almost six months." Ryan said icily.

"Well, Billy's worth it. You weren't." the brown haired girl said with hatred evident in her voice.

Ryan turned to face the sphere. "Well Rikku, here she is. This is the whore that came before you." He looked back at the girl. "Well, between you and Jess, I'd say that I made a hell of an improvement."

"Excuse me?" Jess screeched as she shoved her way through school. She reached him, planted her hands on her hips and glared up at him daringly. "Care to say that again?"

"Oh, so you're not just disloyal, you're deaf too?" Ryan sighed sarcastically. "I said: I'd say that I made a hell of an improvement."

Jess rolled her eyes. "You're just jealous that I'm with Billy instead of you."

"Please, why would he be jealous that a bitch like you isn't with him when he has Rikku?" Jess whirled around to face Matt who smiled smugly. Her foot shot out towards his head surprisingly fast, but Matt simply caught it with his free hand and began to apply a little pressure.

"Hey, bitch would be a compliment." Ryan pointed out as Matt let go of Jess' leg.

"Who do you figure that?"

"Well, dogs are supposed to be _loyal. _But you most certainly aren't. Therefore calling you a dog would imply that you're loyal, but you aren't." Jess sneered at Ryan who just smiled back innocently. "Hearing the truth--" Jess jumped up and tried to kick him in the head but Ryan brought his wooden sword up to intercept. The students of the school, who had now formed a ring, backed away as Billy burst through, practice sword in hand. "Well, isn't this a compliment. Both of you at once? I'm honored."

He bowed mockingly but jumped backwards to avoid a low kick and a high sword cut. "You always were a piece of shit Ryan, you know that?" Jess asked hotly. She charged in and threw two quick punches at Ryan's head. The angel smirked and simply moved his head to avoid both before assuming the same stance that Auron always used.

"Damn copy cat! Stealing Auron's stance, who do you think you are?" Andy asked jokingly.

"Well he… 'taught' me how to use a sword. Mostly. Sort of." Ryan sighed. "Okay, so he just beat the shit outta me until I got as good as I am right now. Then again, three months of that'll make anyone good."

"What the hell are you talking about? You haven't even been awake for three months. You haven't even been awake for three weeks!" Billy stated.

Ryan's eyes went from carefree to icy so quickly everyone, except for Andy and Matt, who could see them shivered. "Ok then Billy. Then why don't you call off your attack woman and face me one-on-one?"

"Ok, fine." Jess glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes but made no effort to move. "Jess, move. I'll handle this."

"No."

"Matt, move her." Matt handed Andy the sphere and started towards Jess. She did a spinning jump kick at his head but once again found her foot trapped in his hand. She clenched her teeth in pain as he tightened his grip to the point where tears of pain started to form in her eyes.

"That's it? I'm surprised, didn't think it'd be that hard." Jess spat a curse at him and then jumped off her remaining foot and kicked him in the head. Matt raised his arm, picking her completely up off the floor. "That's not a hit. This is a hit." Billy turned in time to see Jess go flying into the crowd who caught the girl and placed her on the ground. "Man, is that all? I didn't think it'd knock the wind out of her… maybe I went a little overboard."

"Bastard." Billy started to charge Matt but stopped when a wooden sword rested in front of his neck.

"Lesson number one: Never turn your back on the enemy, dumb ass." Ryan went back to Auron's stance and waited for Billy to charge.

"You're the challenger." Billy said impatiently, knowing he'd never get to Jess with Matt and Ryan in the way.

"Heh, good point." Ryan admitted. "Well then, I guess I'll lead." He came at Billy at the highest speed a normal swordsman would've been able to achieve. He slashed at Billy once, a slow horizontal slash aimed at the chest. Billy knocked it to the side and countered with a thrust at Ryan's head. "Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Kan Sen!" Ryan spun around the blade and slammed this own sword into Billy's back. The force behind the blow, combined with Ryan's own strength, sent Billy flying into the wall of students. "Second lesson, bitch: Watch out for your opponents counter attack."

"Shut up!" Billy brought himself up into a defensive stance and Ryan shook his head in despair. "Well, come on."

"Please don't bore me." Billy sneered but said nothing. "If you're gonna bore me then I'll end it now." This time Ryan's statement was accompanied by gasps of surprise since Ryan had just appeared behind Billy. On top of all that, his after image had them believing that he was in two places at the same time. "So, your move."

Billy spun around slashed out at Ryan's chest. Ryan spun around and blocked the attack with his sword. Without stopping he grabbed Billy's arm and started to prepare for another Ryu Kan Sen but kicked out instead, catching Billy in the face and sent him spinning to the ground. "Lesson three: Just 'cause I raise my sword doesn't mean I'm gonna use it." Billy pushed off the ground with a feral sounding snarl and started to slash and thrusting wildly. Ryan simply locked eyes with him, barely having to look to know where the attacks were coming from. He sidestepped and rolled and ducked and weaved lazily, a fact that further enraged Billy and made him even easier to read. "Lesson four: Don't tell your opponent where you're going to attack!" Ryan ducked under a slash and slammed the butt of his sword into Billy's stomach. The fencer dropped his sword as he toppled to the ground and clutched his stomach, desperately trying to force air back into his lungs.

"Hey Ryan! You remember what you were telling me about before we left to come here?" Ryan looked over and nodded. "Well I think they came back for some pay back."

"Knew I should have hit them harder…" Ryan muttered, turning his back on Billy and turned to face Matt completely. "Why do you say they came back for more?" The wall next to the window Matt had been looking at exploded. When the dust settled a guy was lying there, bleeding slightly, limp, and unconscious.

"They said they had a grudge to settle with you." Auron said as he stepped over the limp body and into the fencing school. "And I haven't finished teaching you how to use a sword properly yet."

"Geez Auron, you nearly killed him." Ryan muttered as he examined the man who'd gone through the wall.

"He tried to kill me. I defended myself. Was I supposed to let him kill me?"

"No, but you aren't supposed to kill him either." The angel knelt down and his hand flashed for a second. "Well, he won't die now, but he ain't waking up any time soon. Now, what do we do about these guys?"

"Well, we can't _kill _them, but we can beat the shit outta them. I mean you've already had a warm up, Andy will never need one again, and I'll be fine. Auron's just Auron, we really don't have to worry about him."

Ryan smiled at Matt's logic. "All true, but I meant the fact that there's only thirty of them. Thirty doesn't divide by four."

"Divides fine by one." Andy's voice sounded different then normal as he put on a pair of white gloves with red markings on them.

"Andy, what the hell are you thinking? We aren't trying to kill them!" Matt grabbed his friend's right hand, but couldn't reach the left one in time. Four fireballs raced towards the hole in the wall. Ryan jumped in front of the hole and slashed out with his wooden sword. The air rippled as two of the fireballs slammed into his shield and disappeared while the other two went flying past him and through the hole.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Tsui Sen!" Ryan slammed his wooden sword down on Andy who simply laughed at him.

"It's going to take a whole lot more then that!" Andy snapped his fingers again and sent the new set of fireballs into Ryan's stomach. The angel went flying across the room engulfed in flames that disappeared when he slammed into the wall.

Matt slammed his elbow into Andy as hard as he could. The god of fire flew into a wall and got back up slowly. "Andy, what the hell are you doing?"

Andy let out a best-like cry and held his head like he didn't want to hear something while muttering to himself in Al Bhed. "What the hell…?" Ryan muttered as he came back around and pulled his ruined shirt off. People around the room gasped at the multiple revealed scars and fresh burns that had already healed, and the fact that he'd survived the attack. "We don't have time for this. Auron, knock him out."

"What?" Matt almost chocked when Ryan gave the cold-hearted order.

"We can't fight Andy and all these dumb-asses at the same time and you know it."

Andy reached out and gripped Auron's leg. "Do… it! Do it… now!" Without any other options Auron slammed down with his fist. Andy slumped to the ground with a relieved look on his face and Matt just shook his head.

"Matt." Auron tossed a familiar wooden axe to the teenage-god before revealing a wooden sword that was twice as thick as the one Ryan used.

"You just _cannot _be unarmed, can you?" Matt asked as the first of the gangsters charged Ryan. The teen jumped back with a slight grin on his face and led the dagger-wielding thug deeper into the room. "Well, I guess we each get ten. Not much, but it'll do for a little bit of fun. I think." A scream from the first guy into the room, and the sound of a bone snapping drew Matt's attention back to the gang. "Or nine." Another cry and snap of bone followed the comment. "Or eight."

"Perhaps we should join, or we will get none." Matt lifted the wooden battle-axe and charged into the fight where Ryan had dropped two more gang members and was battling three on the debris that Auron had made on his entrance.

One dropped when Ryan simply hit him upside the head, but he had to do a flip over another to keep from being run through by a dagger. When he landed the rock he was on flipped and knocked him to the ground. Matt reached out and a bolt of lightning sprang from his fingers and slammed into the unarmed thug. 'Shit, I missed one.'

Ryan's free hand flew up in front of his face on instinct. He muffled a cry of pain as a dagger dug into it. He tried to pull his hand to the side on instinct but the act not only pulled his hand but he also ripped the dagger to the side. With a cry of pain and anger he swung at the man's head and was rewarded with a satisfying thud for his efforts. He felt the dagger come out of his hand and realized when he opened his eyes that Billy was desperately trying to staunch the bleeding.

"Thanks." Ryan gasped as he stood up, ignoring the fact that his hand was gushing blood. "Now watch and learn Billy. You're about to find out why you weren't able to hurt me earlier." Ryan disappeared from view and two of the remaining gang members went flying into the air.

"Holy shit! Ryan!" Jess gasped in surprise when he appeared above them.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Style Ryu Tsui Sen!" The strike shattered the sword on the higher man's shoulder. As he slammed into the ground shot back up like a spring, this time without a weapon.

"That Sasuke wanna-be." Matt muttered when Ryan slowed his ascent so he was right behind the man that was still rising. Ryan wrapped the guy in a bear hug and flipped them so they were upside down. "Or it could be Rock Lee."

"Primary Lotus!" The two began to spin until small parts of rock started to blow away from the spot they were going to land on.

"Careful Ryan…"

"What is he doing now?" Matt sighed and turned to face the old sword master.

"Primary Lotus. It's a powerful, deadly martial arts technique where the user slams the victim into the ground. Using it for the first time though, I wouldn't be surprised if he slammed himself into the ground too. And at speeds like that… can you say road kill?" Ryan and the thug hit the ground like a bomb. Dust and rock flew in every direction, but when it settled Matt just shook his head. "Yddahdeuh, yddahdeuh (Attention, attention)!" Matt said mockingly as Ryan stood up shakily, blood flowing freely from more then a few cuts and scraps.

"I think I chipped a tooth." Ryan muttered as he staggered out of the rubble. A group of the thugs decided to end his walk and stepped in the way, effectively surrounding him. "Come on, I got my ten. Now you've got those two ta deal with." Ryan said while continuing to rub his jaw.

"Go ta hell!" One of the men yelled before a bolt of lightning slammed into his back.

"That's two Matt." Ryan yelled as he walked out of the ring of stunned people. "Well, have fun you two. I'm takin' a break."

"Overdid it didn't you?" Matt asked teasingly.

Ryan shrugged. "You know me, I almost always do." Matt nodded and left Ryan to the swarm of people who suddenly wanted to be his 'friends' or wanted to treat his cuts and bruises.

"Well then, shall we, Auron?"

"Gladly." Auron free his left hand from his jacket and charged into the group, swatting men aside without concern or fear. The gang scattered under his powerful strokes, but even more were sent in a pain filled slumber. "Ten." The man said when only three of the gangsters were still present.

"Who the hell taught you to count?"

"The priests at a Yevon temple." Auron replied instantly.

"That would explain it. Damn Yevonites." Matt muttered as he stepped towards the group that was left, but also throwing Auron the wooden axe he'd been given. "Well then, lets finish this." Three cars pulled up and a bunch of men in suits stepped out. "Bull shit! I didn't get to do anything!"

"Sorry sir, but we've got another job for you." One of the men said as he opened a car door for Matt and Auron. "Where are Andy, Ryan, and Nick?"

"Well Andy went nuts, so I don't think he's going to be any help on this one, best to leave him out of it. Ryan's in the car, and Nick's at his house."

"Alright, do you have your weapons with you?"

"No, we don't." Ryan stated.

"Ok then. We'll fill you in along the way."

"What about all that?" Matt asked, motioning to the busted wall of the fencing school and the battered gang.

"We're already writing out checks." The man said with a slight grin. "But don't worry about that sir, you're needed in California."

* * *

well people, there we go. what happened to andy? and why is auron on earth? well, i guess you'll just have to wait and find out in Return of the Gods! i'll try and update again as soon as i can, but i'll be in texas from tomorrow till monday. so until i do update again, take care, don't do nothin stupid without me, and review for pity's sake! 


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